PAST AND 







RAYMOND NE^if^MAM 



AND 



/ALEXANDER WEBSTER 




Class ^^AAH. 



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(^ 



1 



SOMERSET HOUSE 

PAST AND PRESENT 



BOOKS ON OLD LONDON 



THE OLD BAILEY AND NEWGATE. 

By Charles Gordon. With about loo Illustrations 
and a Frontispiece. Medium 8vo, cloth, 21s. net. 

OLD TIME ALDWYCH, KINGSWAY, 
AND NEIGHBOURHOOD. 

By Charles Gordon. Fully Illustrated and with 

Map. Medium 8vo, cloth, 21s. net. 



LONDON: T. FISHER UNWIN. 



SOMERSET HOUSE 

PAST AND PRESENT 



BY ', • 

RAYMOND, NEEDHAM 



ALEXANDER WEBSTER 



NEW YORK 
E. P. DUTTON AND COMPANY 

31 WEST TWENTY-THIRD STREET 



h'^J' 



^■% 



To 
E. E. STOODLEY, Esq. 






{Ail rights reserved.') 






Contents 



PREFACE . . . . . . '9 

THE DUKE OF SOMERSET: BIOGRAPHICAL . . , 1 3 

CHAPTER I 

THE FOUNDATION . . . . . '3^ 

CHAPTER II 

SOMERSET HOUSE UNDER THE TUDORS . . . 53 

CHAPTER III 

SOMERSET HOUSE UNDER THE STUARTS : JAMES I. . -65 

CHAPTER III {continued) 

SOMERSET HOUSE UNDER THE STUARTS : CHARLES I. . 89 

CHAPTER III {continued) 
SOMERSET HOUSE UNDER THE STUARTS : CHARLES II. . -139 

CHAPTER IV 

OLD SOMERSET HOUSE IN THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY . 1 68 

5 



6 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 

CHAPTER V 

THE NEW BUILDING ..... 



PAGE 



CHAPTER VI 



ITS TENANTS, I780-185O 



214 



CHAPTER VII 



THE NATIONAL BEEHIVE 



245 



CHAPTER VIII 



KING S COLLEGE . 



265 



APPENDIX I. THE GREAT SALE 



283 



APPENDIX II. DENMARK HOUSE IN THE STRAND : LIST OF 

RESIDENTS ...... 309 



List of Illustrations 

SOMERSET HOUSE {ch'Ca 1650). VIEW TOWARDS WEST- 
MINSTER ..... 
After the painting in the Dulwich Gallery. 

THE PROTECTOR SOMERSET .... 

From an engraving by H. Meyer after the picture at Longleat. 

THE STRAND IN I 543 .... 

From the drawing by A. van dcr Wyngaerde. 

THE STRAND FRONT ..... 

From the Original Collection of Drawings, by John Thorpe, pre- 
served in the Soane Museum. 

THE STRAND IN THE REIGN OF ELIZABETH . 
From the drawing by Ralph Agas. 

CONFERENCE OF ENGLISH AND SPANISH PLENIPOTENTIARIES 
AT SOMERSET HOUSE IN 1 604 

From tlie picture in the Natiotial Portrait Gallery, by Marc 
Ghceraedts. 



Frontispiece ■ 
To face page 13 
35 • 

54- 
65 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 

ANNE OF DENMARK .... To face page 74 

From the picture in the National Portrait Gallery by Paul van Somcr. 

INIGO JONES ....... So 

From the picture in the National Porfraii Gallery, copied, probably 
by Henry Stone, from the original by Vandyck. 

THE STRAND FRONT .... „ 83 

From an engraving by W. M. Felloivs, after the print by W. Moss, 1777. 

THE QUADRANGLE . . . . . ,, 85 

From an engraving by W. M. Fellows, after the print by W. Moss, 1777. 

HENRIETTA MARIA . . . . ,,89 

From an old copy in the National Poiirait Gallery of the original 
painting by Vandyck. 

CHANCEL SCREEN . . . . . „ III 

From a print in the British Muscnm, issued by Isaac Ware, 1757. 

REREDOS . . . . . . ,, 113 

From a print in the British Muscnm, issued by Isaac Ware, 1757. 

TOMBSTONES . . . . . . „ II7 

Taken from the Chapel of old Somerset House, and built into the walls 
of a passage under the quadrangle of the present building. 

OLIVER CROMWELL LYING IN STATE AT SOMERSET HOUSE „ I3I 

DESIGN FOR RIVER FRONT, BY INIGO JONES . . ,, 1 43 

(Marked "Not taken.") 

DESIGN BY INIGO JONES (aS EXECUTED) . . „ 1 44 

DESIGN BY INIGO JONES, EMBRACING THE WHOLE RIVER FRONT „ I46 

CATHERINE OF BRAGANZA . . . . ,, 149 

From a painting by Dirk Stoop in the National Portrait Gallery. 

FRANCES TERESA, DUCHESS OF RICHMOND . . „ 154 

From the painting by Sir Peter Lcly, at Hampton Court. 

strand front (with procession of scald miserable 

masons), 1742 . . . . . „ 168 

view of river front, by knyff, i72o . . „ i7o 

perspective view of the royal garden of somerset, 1753 ,, 173 

maria, countess of coventry . * . „ 1 77 

From a painting by Francis Cotes. 

A MASQUERADE . . . . . „ I8I 

Front an engraving attributed to Hogarth. 

THE RIVER FRONT . . . . „ 1 84 

From ilie engraving by B. Cole. 

OLD SOMERSET HOUSE AND THE CHURCH OF ST. MARY 

LE STRAND . . . . . . „ 187 

SIR WILLIAM CHAMBERS . . . . „ I90 

From the painting by Sir Joslnia Reynolds. 

PERSPECTIVE OF STRAND FRONT . . . „ 1 93 

PERSPECTIVE OF THE TERRACE . . . „ 1 95 



To face 


page 


197 


>» 




199 


51 




200 
204 
206 


n 




209 


n 




212 


55 




215 


55 




219 


55 




220 


55 




222 


55 




224 
226 



8 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 

THE LAST OF THE OLD PALACE 

BRONZE GROUP IN THE QUADRANGLE 

THE QUADRANGLE FROM THE VESTIBULE 

SCULPTURE IN COURTYARD 

THE QUADRANGLE : NORTH SIDE 

VIEW TOWARDS THE EAST 

THE VESTIBULE ..... 

PLAN OF THE WORK EXECUTED BY SIR WM. CHAMBERS 

THE HALL OF THE ROYAL ACADEMY 

STUDENTS AT WORK IN THE ANTIQUE ACADEMY 

NATURE ...... 

Painlcd by G. B. Cipriani. 

CEILING OF THE COUNCIL CHAMBER 

THE ROYAL ACADEMY EXHIBITION OF IjSj 
From the drawing by H. Rambcrg. 

PORTRAITS OF REYNOLDS, CHAMBERS, AND JOSEPH WILTON „ 23 I 

By John Francis Rigaud, R.A. (National Portrait Gallery). 

MEETING OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY . . . „ 235 

MEETING OF THE SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES . . „ 239 

IN THE NAVY MUSEUM . . . . „ 24 1 

GROUND PLAN OF THE NEW WING . . . „ 245 

From a drawing by Mr. Harold Hillyer 

VIEW OF WELLINGTON STREET IN 1 832 . . „ 247 

Showing rear of the Old Admiralty Residences. 

THE NEW WING : FRONT TOWARDS WELLINGTON STREET . „ . 248 

THE RIVER FRONT, AS COMPLETED BY THE ERECTION 

OF king's COLLEGE . . . . 55 259 

king's COLLEGE ...... 265 

RIVER FRONT FROM EAST (1806), SHOWING SITE OF 

king's COLLEGE .... 55 27O 

GROUND FLOOR PLAN ...... 272 

From a drawing by Mr. Harold Hillyer. 

THE CHAPEL, king's COLLEGE ... „ 277 

PLAN OF DENMARK HOUSE, I706 (nO. i) . . „ 3O9 

PLAN OF DENMARK HOUSE, I706 (nO. 2) . . „ 3I3 



Preface 

ALTHOUGH this work was primarily designed to 
gather into compact form the records of notable 
events and curious anecdotes which preserve what may be 
known of the story of Somerset House, research has re- 
vealed the existence of much cognate matter interesting to 
the student antiquary and here included in the hope that 
it may lighten a by-path of the Metropolitan topography. 

Unhappily for the perfect continuity of the narrative 
the data on which it must rest are widely scattered in the 
literature of three centuries. Here and there in places 
the least likely valuable information comes to light, so 
that at no point would it be wise to assert that oblivion 
has supervened. 

The most complete account of Somerset's palace hitherto 
existing was that compiled by Samuel Pegge, F.S.A., and 
printed as Part IV. of his Curalia in 1806. This work 
describes with the utmost care all the buildings pulled 
down by the Duke both in the Strand and in other parts 
of London, and furnishes a vindication of his conduct 
except as regards the irreverent removal of human remains 
from Pardon Churchyard and the Charnel House of 
St. Paul's. In the Home Counties Magazine for January, 
1899, a brief history was given from the pen of the late 
Mr. Heaton Jacob. But in matters of more popular 
interest the information supplied by these authorities is 
extremely meagre. Much that is new has been discovered, 



10 PREFACE 

and facts bearing upon Pegge's thesis have thrown a clearer 
light upon Somerset's early connection with the site. 

Of the original fabric of the palace nothing but a 
rough sketch can be pieced together, the alterations and 
extensions carried out by Inigo Jones during the first 
decade of the seventeenth century being barely mentioned 
by contemporary topographers, and but cursorily noticed 
in summary bills of costs preserved at the Public Record 
Office. Fortunately, however, we find the help of numerous 
engraved pictures illustrating the building at every period 
since its foundation, from Van den Wyngaerde's drawing 
and the crude outline of Ralph Agas's map to the highly 
finished aquatints of Malton's Picturesque Tour through 
London and Westminster . In fact the only adequate descrip- 
tion of the building is the pictorial one. 

Excepting Mr. A. F. Pollard's scholarly volume on 
England under Protector Somerset^ which is not exclusively 
biographical, no separate life of Somerset exists, although 
the materials for such a work are copious. The Protector 
occupies an important place in English history and the 
full biography will no doubt one day be forthcoming ; 
but for the present a considerable space in this volume 
is devoted to recapitulating the main phases of his career 
as showing amid what influences the first foundations 
of Somerset House were laid. 

At various periods in the seventeenth century the 
palace becomes so intimately involved with the current 
movements in politics as to necessitate excursions into 
the broader fields of English History. Particularly in 
connection with the Catholic revival when the activities 
of Henrietta Maria's priests provoked Parliamentary 
recriminations and fanned the Revolution into flame, a 
glance at the political arena could not rightly be avoided. 
Indeed sufficient prominence has not hitherto been given 
to the part played by the Catholics of Somerset House 



PREFACE 11 

in aggravating the irritant effects of Charles's attitude 
towards his Parliament, Most misguided of all that 
monarch's courses was that which brought his own integrity 
as a Protestant under suspicion and permitted the Queen's 
household to become a mere outpost of the Swiss Guard. 

In another respect, moreover, the time of Charles I. 
is significant. It embraces the accumulation and begins 
the dispersal of the most notable collection of artistic 
treasures ever possessed by a single individual. With a 
splendid enthusiasm and genuine discrimination this monarch 
provided a rich inheritance for the English people, little 
dreaming that at his death it would be scattered abroad 
to raise funds for his enemies. The great interest 
attaching to the sale of Charles's belongings necessitated 
the introduction of particulars too numerous and diverse 
to be included in the general history of Somerset House, 
and they have accordingly been transferred to an 
appendix. 

With regard to the modern building no attempt has 
been made to describe in detail the numerous departments 
and institutions for which at one time or another it has 
provided accommodation. From the many plans and other 
documents preserved at the Soane Museum an impression 
may be obtained of the intricate nature of Sir William 
Chambers's task and of the size and importance of offices 
long since obsolete. The Hawkers and Pedlars Ofhce, 
the Lottery Office, the Hackney Coach Office, the Salt 
Tax Office, the Pipe Office, and the offices of the Auditor 
of Imprests and the King's Bargemaster — all are entirely 
done away or absorbed in larger establishments. Changes 
have followed one another so rapidly that it has not been 
practicable, even had it seemed advisable, to give more 
than a bare outline of their progress. Within the memory 
of some now living, Somerset House included a con- 
siderable residential population, the chief officers of the 



12 PREFACE 

executive as well as the porters and caretakers of the 
various offices being required to live on the premises. But 
as the small departments gave place to large ones it 
became expedient to utilise the residential quarters for 
offices and to connect the separate parts of the building 
by piercing the divisional walls. In this way much damage 
has been wrought upon the interior, and the resultant 
plan is far from convenient. 

To avoid the repetition of particulars of a transitory 
and dry-as-dust nature the activities now centred in 
Somerset House have been viewed historically and the 
facts and statistics available in numerous works of reference 
issued year by year intentionally excluded. 

Thanks are due to Mr. Frederick H. Duffield for 
valuable assistance always readily accorded. 




To face page 13. 



The Protector Somerset. 
From an engraving by H. Meyer after the picture at LongJeat. 



THE DUKE OF SOMERSET: BIOGRAPHICAL 

LATE in the summer of 1535 King Henry VIII. with 
a numerous retinue came to visit Sir John Seymour 
at Wulf Hall, near Savernake, in Wiltshire. Ostensibly 
the visit was one of courtesy to an aged and trusty subject, 
and nothing remains to distinguish it from many another 
of Henry's excursions. But in the retrospect of history 
great events indeed arrive through that occasion ; for not 
o.ily does it mark the ascendency of Jane Seymour at 
Court and the miserable end of Anne Boleyn, but also it 
sets the seal of royal favour upon Edward, Jane Seymour's 
brother, who, as the Lord Protector Somerset, was fated to 
win prominence in the annals of England. 

Turning back upon that time we encounter one of the 
great climacterics of our race. Society is in a state of 
upheaval, and the long period of religious and political 
regeneration heralded by the invention of printing, begun 
definitely in the work of Colet and Erasmus, strengthened, 
developed, and formulated by the genius of Sir Thomas 
More, is already bearing fruit. But though the trend of 
events is unmistakably beneficent, the determining forces 
seem ungovernable and dangerous. The temper of the 
King from whom the champions of the New Learning 
had at first derived encouragement, passed, under the in- 
fluence of Cromwell, to a phase of despotism which might 
well have been regarded as hostile. In spite of his 

13 



14 SOMERSET HOUSE 

tyrannical rule, however, Henry remained at heart a 
reformer, and the changes which were brought about by 
the aim of Cromwell in the direction of autocracy, were, in 
effect, the very ends which Colet, Erasmus, and More had 
sought to achieve by the more gradual methods of educa- 
tion. The Act of Supremacy had at last disposed of the 
power of the Church. The reins of every department of 
the State were held in Cromwell's inflexible grip. Such 
monasteries as had not already yielded up their riches 
were now quickly suppressed, and the new nobility whom 
Henry had created to fortify himself against the tradi- 
tions upheld by the old, were liberally endowed with the 
spoils. 

Among this body of the nouveaux riches was 
Edward Seymour. He had been born, probably at Wulf 
Hall, about the year 1506, was in 15 14 a page of honour 
at the marriage of Mary Tudor (Henry's sister) with 
Louis XII. of France, and, joining the army of the Duke 
of Suffolk, was present at the capture in 1523 of the 
French towns of Bray, Roye, and Montdidier. At the 
close of this campaign he received knighthood and soon 
afterwards appeared at Court as an esquire of the King's 
household. In 1527 he accompanied Wolsey in an 
embassy to the King of France ; and in the years following 
was enriched by the gift of numerous lands in the North 
and West. On the 12th of September, 1530, he was 
appointed an esquire of the King's body, and thenceforward 
appears to have enjoyed the privilege of a close friendship 
with Henry himself. His sister, Jane Seymour, who had 
been maid of honour to Catherine of Aragon, was retained 
in that capacity at the Court of Anne Boleyn ; and there 
can be little doubt that when Henry's attentions were 
transferred to Jane, the way was made smooth by her 
ambitious brother. Be this as it may, the visit of Henry to 
Wulf Hall in 1535 seems to have decided him to make 



THE DUKE OF SOMERSET 15 

Jane Seymour his queen, for within a few months she was 
installed in the palace at Greenwich in apartments which 
communicated, through a private passage, with those of the 
King. 

Anne Boleyn was tried and condemned on the 15th of 
May, 1536 ; she was beheaded on the 19th; and on the 
30th, Henry quietly married his new love. A week later 
Edward Seymour became Viscount Beauchamp of Hache, 
in Somerset, and received a grant of extensive manors in 
Wiltshire. On October 15th of the same year he carried 
the Princess Elizabeth (afterwards Queen) at the christen- 
ing of the boy Edward who had been born of his sister's 
union with the King ; and three days afterwards was created 
Earl of Hertford. 

The death of Queen Jane on October 24th was naturally 
a blow to Hertford's influence. In the year following he 
is described as a man " young and wise but of small power." 
Nevertheless he retained the King's friendship, and in 1539 
was entrusted with the defence and fortification of Calais 
and Guisnes. On his return to England after the success- 
ful completion of this task, Henry bestowed upon him 
" Chester Place outside Temple Bar, London^'' as a residence, 
and thus determined the site of the future Somerset 
House. 

Hertford was now despatched to meet Anne of Cleves, 
the lady by whose marriage with the King, Cromwell 
designed to achieve a policy which might have averted the 
Thirty Years' War. On reaching London again he wrote 
to Cromwell that, since the birth of Prince Edward, nothing 
had pleased him so much as this new marriage of the King. 
But on the subject of Anne of Cleves, Cromwell appeared 
in open defiance of Henry's desires ; Anne was distasteful 
to him, and the outburst of his wrath left Cromwell an easy 
victim to his innumerable enemies. 

According to the Spanish Chronicle, Cromwell was 



16 SOMERSET HOUSE 

sacrificed at the instigation of Hertford, who now took 
place in the front rank of the King's advisers. The Duke 
of Norfolk, his most powerful rival, was led to seek his 
friendship through a marriage between his daughter, the 
Duchess of Richmond, and Hertford's brother, Thomas 
Seymour. But the step did not permanently influence their 
relations. In 1541, Hertford was appointed a Knight of 
the Garter, and during Henry's progress in the North had 
the chief management of affairs in London. Late in the 
same year he was associated with Archbishop Cranmer in 
the trial and condemnation of Catherine Howard, niece of 
the Duke of Norfolk, and Henry's fifth wife. 

In March, 1544, he was dispatched to proclaim Henry 
guardian of the infant Queen of Scots and protector 
of the realm, in defiance both of the temper of the 
Scottish people and of their alliance with France. On the 
3rd of May he landed at Leith with an army of ten 
thousand men. The keys of the capital were at once 
proffered on condition that all citizens who so desired 
might be allowed to leave with their effects ; but the 
Earl demanded an unconditional surrender, announcing 
that he had been sent to punish the Scots " for their 
detestable falsehood, and to declare and show the force of 
his Highness's sword to all such as would resist him." 
The inhabitants became defiant ; and on the following 
day the Canongate was blown down and the city 
pillaged. Hertford returned to Berwick laden with spoil, 
having succeeded only in exasperating the Scots and 
strengthening their alliance with the French. Indeed he 
had scarcely returned to London, when his attention was 
diverted to Boulogne, where a French army, under 
Marshal de Biez, had laid siege to the English fortificar 
tions. Though the force at Hertford's disposal was less 
than half the number in the opposing ranks, he sallied out 
before dawn on the 6th of February, 1545, at the head of 



THE DUKE OF SOMERSET 17 

four thousand men, and took the enemy by surprise. A 
panic seized them, and they fled in disorder, the whole of 
their stores, ammunition, and artillery falling into the 
hands of the English. 

This exploit secured Boulogne for a time, and Hertford 
was now occupied in revenging the defeat which the 
Scottish army had inflicted on the English at Ancrum 
Muir ; but his operations were confined to a border 
foray, and before the close of 1545 he was back in 
London in attendance at the Council. In April, 1546, 
he was again commissioned Lieutenant-General of the 
army in France, and empowered to make overtures of 
peace. A treaty was concluded on the 7th of June, 
and in October Hertford returned to England, and 
remained in attendance at Court and Council till Henry's 
death. 

The few months which intervened before that event 
witnessed a momentous struggle for power between the 
opposing parties in the State. Norfolk, the representative 
of the older nobility, came at last face to face with Hertford, 
round whom the men of the " new blood " naturally 
gathered. As uncle of the young Prince Edward, Hertford 
could not fail to play a leading part in the coming reign, 
and in that confidence the Russells, the Cavendishes, the 
Wriothesleys, and the Fitzwilliams were eager to support 
him. Unlike the Howards, who boasted their Plantagenet 
descent, this group of the new nobility had no historical hold 
upon the country ; they owed their distinction mainly to 
the royal caprice and their wealth to the spoliation of the 
monasteries ; they were pledged to the Reformation, and what- 
ever motives underlay their actions the efl^ect of their policy 
was to bring the English Church into line with the reformed 
Churches of the Continent. Norfolk, though sympathising 
with the purification of ecclesiastical institutions, leaned 
towards Rome, and it was abundantly clear that the party 

2 



18 SOMERSET HOUSE 

which became paramount at this critical time would thence- 
forth possess an enormous advantage. The rival factions 
met with bitter words. " If God should call the King to 
His mercy," exclaimed Surrey, Norfolk's son, *' who were 
so meet to govern the Prince as my lord, my father ? " 
" Rather than that should be," came the retort of one 
of Hertford's adherents, " I would abide the adventure 
to thrust a dagger in you." 

But the issue was more simply decided by Henry himself. 
True to the work he had begun, he resisted the pretensions 
of the Papacy in an offer to unite in a " League Christian " 
with the Lutheran Princes of North Germany, and consented 
to Cranmer's proposal to change the Mass into a Com- 
munion Service. Surrey's boast of his royal blood, the 
Duke's quartering of the royal arms to distinguish his 
Plantagenet descent, and certain covert interviews with the 
French Ambassador, were cleverly used by the enemies 
of the Howards to rouse Henry's fears of the danger 
which might beset the throne of his son. Norfolk was 
attainted of treason, and flung into the Tower, while 
Surrey was tried and sent to the block. Hertford was 
hardly aware of his success before Henry's death at 
Westminster on the 28th of January, 1547, left him pre- 
eminent. 

He was present to receive the King's last commands, and 
at once took possession of the will. Quickly resolving 
to set aside its provisions as regards the Council of Regency 
appointed to rule during Edward's minority, he boldly 
essayed a coup d'etat. He forbade the news of Henry's 
death to be published, and hurried down to Hatfield to 
secure the person of the young King. This done, the 
tidings went abroad, and on Monday, the 31st of January, 
he arrived with Edward at the Tower of London. 
At the conference then held he was proposed as Pro- 
tector, and though the Council was divided, a daring 



THE DUKE OF SOMERSET 19 

amendment of Henry's will excluding Bishop Gardiner from 
its debates, enabled the proposal to be carried, and Hertford 
assumed " the name and title of Protector of all the realms 
and domains of the King's Majesty and governor of his 
most royal person." But there was this provision, that the 
Protector must act only " with the advice and consent 
of the rest of the executors." On February 2nd Hertford 
took office as High Steward of England for Edward's 
coronation ; on the loth he became Treasurer of the 
Exchequer and Earl Marshal. Five days later he was 
created Baron Seymour of Hache, and, on the i6th, Duke 
of Somerset. A new patent drawn out in the boy-King's 
name, empowering his uncle to act without consent of his 
fellow-executors, and " to do anything which a governor 
of the King's person or Protector of the realm ought to 
do," was issued on the 12th of March, and Somerset became 
supreme in the kingdom, A form of prayer used in 
churches spoke of him as " caused by Providence to rule," 
and in addressing the King of France he boldly called him 
" brother." 

Thus by intrigue and self-assertion a country gentleman, 
raised to high rank at Court by the accident of his sister's 
queenship, had made himself the first Protestant ruler 
of England. But daring as he had been, Somerset was 
compelled to fortify his position by measures which marked 
the retreat of the Crown from the absolutism of Henry. 
The statute which had given to royal proclamations the 
force of law was now repealed, and several of the new 
felonies and treasons which Cromwell had created and used 
so mercilessly, were struck out. 

These measures were undoubtedly popular ; but against 
the attacks of the conservative party, which the rise of 
Somerset had temporarily overthrown, it was necessary to 
secure the support of Protestantism. The Protector himself 
was a pronounced Calvinist, in frequent communication 



20 SOMERSET HOUSE 

with the Genevan reformer. And there is no other 
account to be given of the gradual changes which culminated 
in the second Prayer Book of 1552, than that in religious 
affairs he exercised the same arbitrary sway as the late 
King had brought to bear upon Parliament when the 
Act of Six Articles was passed in 1539. He quietly 
encouraged the publication of books of extreme Pro- 
testant views, and himself penned a preface for the new 
Communion Office of 1548, hinting plainly at reforms 
which were soon to follow. By an order of the 6th of 
February, 1547, all bishops were compelled to exercise their 
offices durante bene-placito^ and their position as mere State 
officials was further emphasised by an order for their 
appointment only under letters patent. An ecclesiastical 
visitation followed for the removal of pictures and images, 
the assertion of royal supremacy, and the enforcement of 
the use of the English tongue in all Church services. A 
book of homilies was issued, and a formal statute gave 
priests the right to marry. A resolution of Convocation, 
confirmed by Parliament, ordered that the sacrament of 
Holy Communion should be administered in both kinds. 
According to a contemporary writer, " the Archbishop of 
Canterbury did this year eat meat openly in Lent in the hall 
of Lambeth, the like of which was never seen since England 
was a Christian country." The Book of Common Prayer 
replaced the Missal and Breviary, and the last hold of Rome 
upon the English Church seemed to have been finally shaken 
off. So much does the Reformation owe to the Duke of 
Somerset. 

While these reforms were successfully inaugurated at 
home, the Protector dreamed of a still wider triumph for 
the Protestant cause abroad. It was given out that on his 
death-bed Henry had impressed upon the Council the need 
of a closer union with Scotland through the marriage of its 
queen with the young Prince Edward ; and Somerset, 



THE DUKE OF SOMERSET 21 

against the counsel of his colleagues, now revived Edward I.'s 
claim to feudal suzerainty over Scotland, and prepared to 
secure his end by a renewal of the Border warfare. This 
aroused the jealousy of France, and a fleet appeared off 
the Scottish coast. Somerset accepted the challenge, and 
taking to the field in person, marched upon Edinburgh 
in command of 18,000 men. He found the Scots en- 
camped behind the Esk at a spot known as Pinkie 
Cleugh, on the slopes of Musselburgh six miles east of 
the capital, and after a severe engagement drove them 
headlong in defeat. Ten thousand Scots are said to have 
fallen in the rout. 

Although victorious, Somerset was compelled by famine 
to fall back from the wasted country ; and the Scots in 
despair turned as of old to France, securing protection 
against England by a consent to Mary Stuart's marriage 
with the Dauphin. Thus not only was the Tudor 
policy of union with Scotland effectually baulked, but 
Scotland had fallen under the direct influence of France, 
and now in the North as well as in the South, England 
could be made to feel the pressure of the French king. 
Nevertheless, on his return from the campaign Somerset 
was received with fresh marks of honour. He declined 
to enter London in triumph, but accepted a special seat 
in the House of Lords above the other peers, and the 
designation " Edward, by the grace of God, Duke of 
Somerset, etc." 

But his policy had not been altogether successful at home. 
Though the religious changes he was forcing on the land 
were carried through with the determination if not with the 
vigour of Cromwell, though he was enabled by confiscating 
the revenues of the few remaining chantries and religious 
guilds to buy the assent of noble and landowner, he could 
not buy off the general aversion of the country people. 
These rejected the new law and called for the maintenance 



22 SOMERSET HOUSE 

of the system of Henry VIII. During 1549 the men 
of Devonshire, in open revolt, demanded the restoration of 
the Mass and the Six Articles, as well as a partial re- 
estabhshment of the suppressed abbeys. Enclosures and 
evictions were carried out in all quarters by the nobles, 
and the Church lands, which had hitherto been underlet, 
were now raised to their full value by the rapacity of their 
lay owners. The general distress was deepened by a per- 
sistent debasing of the coinage, which Somerset was unable 
to check. Twenty thousand men under the leadership of 
Robert Kett gathered round an " Oak of Reformation " 
at Norwich, and, repulsing the Royal troops, raised 
a cry for the removal of evil counsellors, a restitution of 
enclosures, and redress for the grievances of the poor. 
By the energy of the Earl of Warwick, this revolt was 
speedily reduced in bloodshed, and a similar rising in the 
Western counties was put down by Lord Russell ; but not 
before a fatal blow had been struck against Somerset's 
power. 

Already this power had been weakened by strife within 
his own family. His brother Thomas, created Lord Seymour, 
raised to the post of Lord High Admiral, and glutted with 
lands and honours, had yet such greed of power as to envy 
the Protector. He secretly married Queen Catherine Parr, 
hoping to attain a greater influence, and on her death 
attempted a union with the Princess Elizabeth. Whilst 
the Protector was absent in Scotland he openly decried the 
administration and utilised every opportunity to draw 
the King's affection to himself. At first Somerset en- 
deavoured to dissuade him from his reckless courses, but 
urged to extremes by the Earl of Warwick, he rejected 
this counsel with contumely, and the Protector, finding his 
own position seriously imperilled, committed his brother to 
the Tower. According to the Privy Council register, he 
** desired for natural pity's sake licence at the passing of the 



THE DUKE OF SOMERSET 23 

bill of attainder to be away," and only gave his assent to 
the measure with great reluctance. Lord Seymour paid the 
penalty of his rashness, but his execution brought upon 
Somerset the odium of the populace. 

His success in dealing with the rebellion in Norfolk 
encouraged Warwick also to begin an intrigue against the 
Protector. He found a ready accomplice in Wriothesley 
(Earl of Southampton), whom Somerset had ejected from 
the Chancellorship. At the same time the eagerness with 
which Somerset enriched himself out of the spoils of 
ecclesiastical institutions counted heavily against him, and 
the Council became incensed by his arbitrary acts in making 
a stamp of the King's signature and instituting a court of 
requests in his own house at the Strand. The continued 
failure of his policy both at home and abroad gave 
Warwick the opportunity he needed. In September, 1549, 
he appeared with two hundred captains who had served 
in suppressing the rebellions and demanded extra pay for 
their services. They were met by a direct refusal. Secret 
meetings were now held at the houses of the disaffected 
councillors, and Somerset, hearing of them, issued a leaflet 
inciting the people to rise in his defence and that of their 
king. It took the form of an anonymous address, ex- 
plaining the base motives of his enemies and exhorting 
the people to move in his favour. "We the poore comens," 
it concluded, " being injuried by the extorciouse gentylmen, 
had our pardon this yere by the goodnesse of the Lorde 
Protector, for whom let us fyght, for he lovith all just and 
true gentylmen which do no extorcion and also us the 
poore commynaltie of Englande." The fact that 10,000 
men responded to this call is sufficient to show that, in 
despite of everything alleged against him, and notwith- 
standing the insurrection in opposition to his rule, Somerset 
still held the affection of a considerable proportion of the 
people of London. But though he had rallied his supporters, 



24 SOMERSET HOUSE 

his cause was beyond hope. The coils of his enemies were 
tightening around him, and when, on the 6th of October, he 
despatched Sir WilUam Petre from Hampton Court to 
London to inquire the meaning of the Council's proceedings, 
Warwick's adherents were discovered in session at Ely 
House, where they had drawn up an indictment of the 
Protector's rule. To this indictment the City gave its assent, 
and various nobles with their adherents were summoned to 
London by order of the Council. The Tower was secured 
and 15,000 men gathered to support Warwick's action. 
Indeed, for the moment, the very people on whom Somerset 
might once have relied seemed banded against him. On the 
1 2th of October he was arrested at Windsor, whither he had 
moved with the King, and two days later he was committed 
to the Tower. 

In January, 1550, an account of the proceedings taken 
against him was laid before Parliament, the various charges 
being set forth in twenty-nine articles. He at once made a 
full confession and threw himself on the mercy of the 
Council. The sentence which followed deposed him from 
the Protectorate, relieved him of all his offices, and deprived 
him of lands to the value of ^2,000. He was, however, 
released from the Tower, and granted a full pardon on 
the 1 8 th of February. 

Notwithstanding the anxiety of his position, the months 
of his confinement had not been passed in idleness. He 
found solace in the perusal of devotional books, such as 
Spyrytuall and most Precyouse Pearle, a German work, which 
he read in the manuscript translation of Miles Coverdale. 
For this book, indeed, he wrote the English preface, and he 
is supposed also to have translated and published a letter 
he received from Calvin ; but of this no copy can now be 
traced. 

Within three months of his release he had recovered 
much of his former eminence. His lands were restored, he 



THE DUKE OF SOMERSET 25 

took precedence of all other members of the Council, and 
on the 3rd of June, as if to show the completeness of the 
reconciliation, his daughter Anne was married to Viscount 
Lisle, Lord Warwick's eldest son. The reunion, however, 
was only momentary, for although Somerset's influence con- 
tinued to revive, and a strong party favoured the proposal 
to elevate him again to the Protectorate, the power and 
ambition of his rival Warwick effectually held him in check. 
Popular feeling ran high in his favour, and he even seems to 
have meditated a fresh coup d'etat in the seizure of Warwick, 
Northampton, and Pembroke, who for their part were 
resolved on his destruction. In September, 1551, he was 
prevented by sickness from attending the Council, and it 
is probable that this period of his inactivity enabled his 
enemies to mature their plans. On the 4th of October he 
appeared once more at the Council, and on the same day 
Warwick became Duke of Northumberland. About this 
time Sir Thomas Palmer disclosed a plot which he alleged 
had been formed in April by Somerset, Arundel, Paget, and 
himself with the object of raising the country and murdering 
Warwick. An inquiry was at once instituted, ostensibly 
with the object of determining Somerset's Indebtedness to 
the King, but its real purpose became apparent when he was 
suddenly arrested and conveyed to the Tower. Some days 
later the Council communicated to the City of London the 
baseless story that he had plotted to destroy the City and to 
seize the Tower and the Isle of Wight. He was also 
accused of endeavouring to secure for himself and his heirs 
the succession to the Crown. Several weeks elapsed while 
the evidence was being prepared against him. There can be 
little doubt he had meditated supplanting Northumberland, 
but no evidence exists to show that the plot would have 
involved that nobleman's death. And apart from the im- 
probabilities of Palmer's story, we have the direct avowal 
of Renard that both Northumberland and Palmer confessed 



26 SOMERSET HOUSE 

before death that the case against Somerset had been 
fabricated. I 

On Tuesday, the ist of December, 1551, at 5 a.m., 
with a great number of " bills, halberds, and pole axes 
attending him," Somerset was conveyed by water from the 
Tower to Westminster Hall, there to be tried by his 
Peers. The first charge — one of treason — broke down, 
but a second charge of felony was forthwith preferred, 
and he was condemned to be executed. The populace, 
" supposing he had been clearly quitt, when they see the 
axe of the Tower put down made such a shryke and 
castinge up of caps that it was heard into the Long 
Acre beyonde Charinge Crosse," and on his journey back 
to the Tower they " cried ' God save him ' all the way 
as he went." - 

But Somerset's popularity among the people of London 
could not save him. Warwick and his confederates knew 
too well the danger to their own cause of granting him a 
second respite. Accordingly, on the 22nd of January, 1552, 
between 8 and 9 a.m., the last penalty was exacted. To 
prevent a tumult, orders had been given that all people 
should remain indoors till 10 a.m. But " by seven o'clock 
Tower Hill was covered with a great multitude repairing 
from all parts of the citie as well as out of the suburbs." 
Standing under guard before the block, Somerset spoke 
quietly to the crowd around him a word of farewell. 
" Masters and good fellows," he said, " I am come hither 
for to die." 3 He rejoiced in the work he had been able to 
do in the cause of religion, and urged all men to follow the 
same cause. While he was yet speaking Sir Anthony 
Browne pressed through the crowd on horseback. A cry of 
" Pardon ! " was raised ; but Somerset, with cap in hand, 

' Froude, v. 36 n. 

^ Wriothesley, ii. 63. 

3 Sir H. Ellis, Original Letters^ series ii. 



THE DUKE OF SOMERSET 27 

waved the people to come together, saying, *' There is no 
such thing, good people, there is no such thing ; it is the 
ordinance of God thus for to die, wherewith we must be 
content ; and I pray you now let us pray together for the 
King's majesty, to whose Grace I have always been a 
faithful, true, and most loving subject." Then he laid 
his head upon the block, and when the axe had done its 
work those nearest the scaffold pressed forward to dip their 
handkerchiefs in his blood. His remains were buried in 
St. Peter's Chapel in the Tower, side by side with those 
of Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, and in the same 
grave with those of his turbulent brother. Lord Seymour of 
Sudeley. 

Much obloquy has gathered upon the name of Protector 
Somerset. Numerous writers since his day have failed to 
see that his faults were largely the faults of the age in 
which he lived. They tell us he was rapacious ; but if we 
reflect that when the Church disgorged her accumulated 
wealth one and all of the more powerful laymen scrambled 
to become rich upon the spoils, the fault in Somerset is 
not unpardonable. Sir John Fenn observes in a letter to 
Mr. Granger, '' I have been lately looking into all such of 
our histories of England and lives of great men as I could 
procure, to see what character upon the whole view of them 
might fairly be affixed to Protector Somerset. The result is 
I do not think they have done him justice. Most, indeed, 
allow him many good qualities ; but there comes a counter- 
balance of various charges, of extravagance and maladmini- 
stration, warranted indeed by the accusations of his enemies ; 
but, I believe, little deserved by the duke." Placed as he 
was in a position of supreme power, the wonder is not that 
Somerset laid hold of so much, but that he appropriated so 
little. Reared in the school of Protestantism, taught by the 
very force of habit to abolish the emblems of ritualism and 
Rome, it is not unlikely that his vandalism in destroying 



28 SOMERSET HOUSE 

ecclesiastical edifices to find stone for his own palace was 
deliberate and conscientious, and not, as is more often held, 
wanton and sacrilegious. 

He occupies an important place in English history. He 
is the first of our Protestant rulers ; he did more than any 
other man to give practical effect to the religious and 
political revolution his age had inaugurated. The strength 
of his convictions and the purity of his life fitted him 
admirably in the role of reformer. It is largely to his 
influence that we owe the splendid bequest of the English 
Prayer Book, and but for the firm stand he made against 
the Catholic reaction which overtook the Continental 
nations, Protestantism might not have flourished as it did. 
Under his rule England became the common refuge of 
persecuted reformers, and Lutheranism, which was being 
rigorously suppressed in its own home, became trium- 
phant here. Fugitives from every country — Germans, 
Italians, French, Poles, and Swiss — flocked into England ; 
and when the persecution made itself felt in the Low 
Countries, Walloons were welcomed at London and Can- 
terbury, and allowed to set up their churches. In his 
conception of a union between England and Scotland, in 
his constant solicitude for the poorer classes of the com- 
munity, and in his endeavour to mitigate the harshness of 
Cromwell's laws, Somerset has demonstrated for himself a 
sincere and exalted purpose. His removal of the restric- 
tions which weighed upon the Press, and his unwillingness 
to persecute for doctrinal heresies, anticipated the age by 
more than a century. But he was too little of an oppor- 
tunist to be successful as a ruler, and failed in the complete 
achievement of his objects mainly through a want of patience, 
a hatred of compromise, and a consistent undervaluing of the 
forces opposed to him. Unquestionably he was ambitious. 
His usurpation of the royal prerogative proved him capable 
of a resolute audacity. But in all that he did he was inno- 



THE DUKE OF SOMERSET 29 

cent of ignoble motives, and aimed at ends he judged to be 
beneficent. The charm of his personality secured him the 
affection of many whose schemes he opposed ; political 
jealousies were forgotten in his genial companionship ; 
and although by his death Northumberland gained a 
momentary triumph, the loss to England was great and 
irreparable. 



CHAPTER I 



THE FOUN D ATIO N 



AT the beginning of his Protectorate the Duke of 
Somerset occupied Chester Place outside Temple 
Bar — a modest establishment bestowed upon him in 1539 
for services rendered in connection with the fortification of 
Calais and Guisnes.^ Doubtless this residence had hitherto 
proved adequate to his simple needs, but to accommodate 
the larger household which the dignity of his new position 
demanded was beyond its capacity, and in appointments 
suitable for the ceremonial of a Court it must have been 
hopelessly deficient. One point alone was in its favour. 
It occupied an unrivalled position on the road between 
Westminster and the City, and in choosing a site for the 
new palace he determined to build, Somerset can have had 
little hesitation in selecting the immediate vicinity of Chester 
Place. 

The Strand had lately been paved under an Act of 
Parliament,^ and was now a safe and convenient thorough- 
fare, giving access to several palaces besides Somerset's, 
" It is not an ill compliment to the nobility of those 
times that so many of them had their houses by Thames 

' 31 Hen. VIII. cap. 18 granted to the Earl of Hertford "all that 
capital messuage commonly called Chester Place lying and being in the 
parish of our blessed Lady of Strand without the bars of the Temple 
in London in the county of Middlesex with gardens, orchard, court and 
other buildings to the said messuage appertaining and belonging," 
evidently a considerable property. 

^ 24 Hen. VIII. cap. 1 1. 

31 



32 SOMERSET HOUSE 

side from the Temple to Whitehall." ^ Indeed, the 
Strand became a street of palaces, those of York, Durham, 
Exeter, Savoy, and Arundel being notably magnificent. 
Each had a special landing-place upon the Thames, 
which provided all classes of society with a highway for 
excursions of business and pleasure. Traffic between the 
Court and the City was carried on by means of wherries 
from Whitehall to Blackfriars or London Bridge. The 
King passed up or down stream in a State barge, attended 
by the barges of his nobles ; and daily the river presented a 
gay scene. In relation to the London of those days the 
Strand was the Mayfair or Belgravia, the residential quarter 
of the nobility ; and even so late as the beginning of last 
century the ruined palace of Savoy still stood peacefully by 
the Thames, suggesting much more the picturesque decay 
now exhibited in the crumbling piles of rural monasteries 
than the decrepit splendours of a royal palace in the heart of 
a great city. 

Some uncertainty exists as to the year in which the work 
of erecting the Lord Protector's palace was begun. But 
even if the building had not been in contemplation prior 
to Henry VIII. 's death in January, 1547, necessity must 
have compelled a definite move in the matter very soon 
afterwards. Somerset's patent as Lord Protector was 
granted on the 12th of March, 1547, and in the follow- 
ing July his stipend was fixed at 8,000 marks (about 
^25,000 in the currency of to-day). This income, added 
to the wealth he already possessed through the bounty of 
Henry VIII., must have enabled him to lavish a large sum 
upon any project which occupied his mind ; and there can 
be little doubt that the construction of a new palace was 
decided upon and undertaken immediately. I'he grandeur 
of Hampton Court, which Cardinal Wolsey designed for 
himself until the threatening disfavour of Henry drove 

' Strype, Stomas Survey, edition 1755. 



THE FOUNDATION 33 

him, in 1526, to relinquish it as a peace-ofFering, was 
doubtless in the Protector's mind as a thing to be sur- 
passed ; for even Wolsey had never attained to the singular 
glory which fell upon Somerset at Henry's death. It is not 
surprising, therefore, that the edifice which he planned 
should have excited so much interest among his con- 
temporaries, or that when fallen from power his foes should 
have fixed upon him the charge of " his ambition and seeking 
of his own glory as appeared by his building of most sump- 
tuous and costly buildings, and specially in the time of the 
King's wars, and the King's soldiers unpaid." 

To make room for this new palace the Protector 
demolished the buildings immediately surrounding his 
residence at the Strand. These are particularised in Stow's 
Survey of London and Westminster.^ After describing 
Arundel House, formerly Bath's Inn, or Seymour Place, 
which stood on the ground now occupied by Surrey, 
Norfolk, and Arundel Streets, and was at one time 
the residence of Thomas Seymour, the Lord Protector's 
brother, Stow proceeds : — 

" Next beyond the which, on the street-side, was sometime 
a fair Cemetery, or Churchyard, and in the same a parish 
Church called of the Nativity of our Lady and the Innocents 
at the Strand ; and of some (by means of a Brotherhood 
kept there) called of St. Ursula at the Strand. In former 
times it was an highway leading from London to Westmin- 
ster, and so was called in a Deed. Roger, called the Amner, 
gave and confirmed to Roger de Mulent, or de Molend, who 

^ John Stow was born in 1525, and would therefore be of full age at 
the time of the demolitions. He spent a great part of his long life in 
compiling his account of London, and the facts which he brought to light 
and marshalled in his monumental work have been supplemented but 
little by subsequent investigators. The first edition of his Survey was 
issued in 1598, and the account it gives of the site of Somerset House 
must be considered in the highest degree authentic. 

3 



34 SOMERSET HOUSE 

was also called Longespe, Bishop of Chester, in the year 
1257, a parcel of Land and buildings, lying in the parish of 
St. Mary-le-Strand, without London towards Westminster, 
and the same to hold to the said Roger and his successors by 
the yearly rent of three shillings at Easter, for the purchase 
of which the said Bishop gave twenty marks of silver. On 
this land we presume Chester Inn was built, situate by St. 
Mary-le-Strand. For near adjoining to the said Church, 
betwixt it and the river Thames, was an Inn of Chancery, 
commonly called Chester's Inn, because it belonged to the 
Bishop of Chester. By others named of the situation 
Strand Inn. Then was there an house belonging to 
the Bishop of LlandafF ; for I find in record, the fourth 
of Edward the Second (13 10), that a vacant place lying 
near the Church of our Lady at Strand the said Bishop 
procured of Thomas, Earl of Lancaster, for the enlarging 
of this house. 

" Then was the Bishop of Chester (commonly called of 
Lichfield and Coventry), his Inn, or London lodging. This 
house was first builded by Walter Langton, Bishop of 
Chester, Treasurer of England in the reign of Edward 
the First. And next adjoining to it was the Bishop of 
Worcester's Inn. All which, to wit, the Parish of St. Mary 
at Strand, Strand Inn, Strand Bridge with the lane under 
it, the Bishop of Chester's Inn, the Bishop of Worcester's 
Inn, with all the Tenements adjoining, were by com- 
mandment of Edward, Duke of Somerset, uncle paternal 
to Edward the Sixth, and Lord Protector, pulled down 
and made level ground in the year 1549. In place 
whereof he builded that large and goodly house, now 
called Somerset House." 

The house of the Bishop of Llandafi^, here omitted 
from the summary of the demolished property, is in- 
cluded in that given by Stow in his Annates^ so that 
the complete account of the buildings which occupied 







k...._-.- 





f^ 



o 
^ 



00 ^: 



as oj 



THE FOUNDATION 35 

the site made ready by the Protector may be set down 
as follows : — 

(i.) The Church of St. Mary le Strand ; 
(ii.) the episcopal house of the Bishop of Lichfield and 

Coventry, known as Chester's Inn ; 
(iii.) the episcopal house of the Bishop of Worcester ; 
(iv.) the episcopal house of the Bishop of LlandafF; 
(v.) an inn of Chancery, indifferently named Strand 

Inn and Chester Inn ; 
(vi.) Strand bridge ; 
(vii.) a number of tenements. 

Exactly in what manner these buildings were distributed 
over the site it is now impossible to make sure. The 
earliest graphic representation of London, that of Antonie 
van den Wyngaerde ^ preserved in the Bodleian Library, 
has been assigned to the year 1543. It consists of a 
panoramic view of the districts lying to the north of the 
Thames between Westminster and the Tower, and depicts 
with charm and evident fidelity the London of Henry the 
Eighth. Examining the neighbourhood of the Strand we 
at once discover Durham House and Savoy Palace on the 
one hand, and Bath's Inn (or Arundel House), St. Clement 
Danes' Church, and the Temple on the other, and notice 
on the ground since appropriated for the site of Somerset 

' Little is known of this artist, although no fewer than forty-eight of 
his drawings are preserved in the Bodleian Library, He was a native 
of Flanders, whence it is supposed, from the existence ot a rescript of 
Philip n. granting him permission to remove into Spain, that he may 
have entered that monarch's service and been dispatched to London when 
the project of Philip's marriage with Mary Tudor was first conceived. 
The drawing of London (a small part of which is here reproduced) is 
unfinished as regards Whitehall, Bridewell, and a few other buildings ; 
and the memoranda jotted here and there on the roofs of churches and 
other large spaces suggest that it was intended to colour it. A copy of 
this drawing, much altered and otherwise spoiled, was made and engraved 
by N. Whittock in 1849. 



36 SOMERSET HOUSE 

House what is probably the Church of our Lady and the 
Innocents at the Strand pulled down by the Protector. 
The church appears to occupy the central part of the site 
midway between the roadway and the river, and to be 
surrounded, particularly on the south, by other edifices 
possessing architectural dignity. A part at least of the 
building next the water must have constituted the Inn of 
Chancery called indifferently Chester Inn or Strand Inn ; 
for according to Stow this Inn was " near adjoining to 
the church, betwixt it and the river Thames." "The 
Bishop of Chester, his Inn or London lodging," a dis- 
tinct edifice, stood in the high street, and Worcester Inn 
was " close adjoining to it." 

In recent years the authenticity of Wyngaerde's picture 
has been challenged by the appearance of another ^ based 
upon a comparison of the accurate survey of John Rocque 
(1746) with the earlier maps of Ogilvy (17th century), 
Hofnagle (1572), and Agas {circa 1560) ; but this picture 
exhibits a complete disregard of accurate detail and very 
little of the graphic beauty which so distinguishes the older 
drawing. Moreover, it is not difficult to reconcile the 
latter with Stow's written description, at least so far as 
concerns the locality of the Strand ; and the independent 
but corroborative testimony of men so well trained to 
record what they saw as Stow and Wyngaerde, cannot now 
be called in question. 

Comparing the site as it appeared in Henry VIII. 's time 
with that covered by the modern building, only one point 
can be fixed with any certainty. Traces of the vaults of 
old St. Mary le Strand Church have been discovered beneath 

^ See William Newton's London of the Olden Time (1855). Newton's 
statement that the vaults of the old church of our Lady and the Innocents 
were still used in his day for purposes of interment can only have refer- 
ence to the vaults beneath the modern church of St. Mary le Strand. 
Certainly no interment has taken place in the older vaults since the 
erection of the present Somerset House in 1776-90. 



THE FOUNDATION 37 

the north-east corner of the present quadrangle, and in 
modern ordnance maps the site of the church is shown in 
that position. In the sixteenth century the church was 
better known as that of our Lady and the Innocents at the 
Strand, or of St. Ursula at the Strand ; but long prior to 
that period, viz., in 1376, one William Wynningham held 
the title, Rector Ecclesi^e Sanctce Marine le Strand; and in 
1 147 the rector was none other than Thomas Becket, 
afterwards St. Thomas of Canterbury. When the Protector 
ordered the destruction of the old church he undertook to 
erect a new one in its stead, and granted the parishioners 
temporary use of a chapel in the Savoy Palace. But 
untimely death deceived the expectation they reposed in 
Somerset, and it was not until the completion of the present 
church of St. Mary le Strand in 1723 that the temporary 
use of the chapel in the Savoy was discontinued. 

The Inn or London lodging of the Bishop of Chester in 
Stow's time evidently stood near the present gateway leading 
to King's College ; for he tells us that " in the High Street 
near unto the Strand sometime stood a cross of stone against 
the Bishop of Coventry or Chester his house, whereof I read 
that in the year 1294 and divers other times the Justices 
Itinerant sate without London at the stone cross over 
against the Bishop of Coventry's house, and sometime they 
sate in the Bishop's house which was hard by the Strand." 
Worcester's Inn was near by, probably on the south towards 
the church. 

Llandaff's Inn appears to have stood to the west of the 
church on a site contiguous to that of the Savoy Palace. 
" In Edward the Second's reign, Thomas Earl of Lancaster 
granted to the Bishop of LlandafF a place of ground near the 
church of St. Mary atte Strond containing four score feet in 
length and eight in breadth •pro manso suo ibidem elangand, 
i.e. J for the enlarging of his mansion house there." 

The " Inn of Chancery, commonly called Chester's Inn 



38 SOMERSET HOUSE 

because it belonged to the Bishop of Chester, by others 
named of the situation Strand Inn," was attached to the 
Middle Temple. In the reign of Henry V., Hoccleve, 
the poet, was enrolled there as a student of the Law ; and, 
according to Spelman,i this Inn was the largest of the Inns 
of Chancery. 

Of Strand Bridge Stow writes : " Then had ye in the 
high street a fair bridge called Strand Bridge, and under it 
a lane which went down to the Strand, so (called) from 
being a banque of the river Thames." William Maitland is 
somewhat more precise : " A little to the east of the present 
Catherine Street and in the High Street was a handsome 
bridge denominated from its situation Strand Bridge, through 
which ran a small watercourse from the fields, which, 
gliding along a lane below, had its influx in the Thames 
near Somerset Stairs." ^ The bridge must have been situated 
some distance farther to the east than Maitland suggests. 
In an account of one of Elizabeth's progresses we read that 
she came *' through Fleet Street unto her place called 
Somerset Place beyond Strand Bridge^' which shows that the 
bridge carried the road over a watercourse running down 
to the river cityward of Somerset House, probably at the 
point now marked by Strand Lane. 

Our best view of the vicinity before its devastation 
in 1547 leaves only a blurred impression, and notwith- 
standing the diligence of antiquaries the configuration 
of London in the sixteenth century is unlikely to emerge 
from the mist which enshrouds it. Even Stow, whose 
elaborate care left no particle of evidence unconsidered, 
is not clear in describing the events of his own time : 
he did not know, precisely, what buildings his great 
contemporary, Somerset, had pulled down at the Strand. 
Nevertheless, his Survey is the basis and inspiration of a 

^ Sir H. Spelman : Relique<x Speltnann'tana. 
2 See History of London, 1739. 



THE FOUNDATION 39 

numerous progeny of descriptive accounts of London, and 
in the endeavour to picture the locality which was made 
level ground by the Lord Protector we necessarily turn to 
him as the most authentic witness. 

The site cleared for the reception of the Lord Protector's 
palace coincided very closely with that occupied by the 
Somerset House of to-day. It had a depth from north 
to south of about 500 feet, and a frontage to the river 
of about 600 feet. In later times it was bounded on 
the east by Strand Bridge Lane (now Strand Lane), and 
on the west by Duchy Lane, which disappeared at the 
building of Waterloo Bridge (1811-1817). 

One of the great obstacles besetting the builders of 
Somerset's day was the difficulty of obtaining suitable 
material. In such a district as London the common mode 
of construction was in wood and rubble. Bricks were not 
largely used, and only the great public buildings and the 
houses of nobility were of stone, which had either to be 
brought a long distance oversea or procured by the 
demolition of other buildings in the neighbourhood of 
the proposed new edifice. Somerset chose the destructive 
method. In the account of his attainder we read : — 

" Other clamours were purposely raised against him, 
particularly that he had caused a church near Strand Bridge 
and two Bishops' houses to be pulled down to make a seat 
for his New Building called Somerset House, in digging 
the foundations whereof the bones of many who had been 
buried there were dug up and carried into the fields. And 
because the Stones of that Church and those said Houses 
were not sufficient for that Work, the Steeple and most part 
of the Church of St. John of Jerusalem (Clerkenwell) were 
ruined and overthrown with Gunpowder, and the Stones 
carried to contribute toward the Building. Likewise the 
Cloysters on the North Side of St. Paul's Cathedral and 
the Charnal House on the South Side thereof, with the 



40 SOMERSET HOUSE 

Chapel, the Tombs, and the Monuments therein, being all 
beaten down, and the Bones carried into Finsbury Fields, 
and that for the same purpose he intended to have pulled 
down St. Margaret's Church at Westminster." 

Touching his intentions towards St. Margaret's Church, 
Sir John Hay ward, ^ who foregoes no opportunity to tarnish 
the Lord Protector's character, observes : " The workmen 
began to set up their scaffolds and the destruction was 
ready to be begun, when the stout-hearted men of West- 
minster, fearless of the vengeance of the powerful noble, 
resenting the wrong and abhorring the sacrilege, rose with 
one spirit, and commenced such a vigorous defence with 
staff and stones, and at last with clubs and bended bows, 
that the unhappy carpenters and masons were bewildered 
and fled, so greatly terrified that no persuasion could induce 
them to resume the perilous undertaking." 

Stow, in his Annates^ gives additional details : " On the 
loth of April, 1549, the cloister of Paul's Church called 
Pardon Churchyarde 2 with the dance of death, commonly 

^ Life mid Reign of Edward VI. " It was constantly affirmed," says 
Hayward in another place, "that the Duke intended to pull down the 
Church of St. Margaret in Westminster and that the standing thereof was 
only preserved by his fall." Stow, too, hints that in Edward the Sixth's 
time the church was in danger of being destroyed, but does not point 
directly at Somerset. 

2 Pardon Churchyard occupied ground to the north-west of the 
Cathedral. Originally it may have served for the interment of suicides 
and convicts as in later times did a similar plot attached to the Priory of 
St. John of Jerusalem in Clerkenwell. Of the latter, Stow says that it 
served for the burying of such as desperately ended their lives or were 
executed for felonies, " the bodies of persons so dying being fetched 
thither in a close cart veiled over and covered with black, having a plain 
white cross thwarting, and at the fore-end a St. John's Cross without and 
within, a bell ringing by the shaking of the cart, whereby the same might 
be heard when it passed." Within the cloister enclosing Pardon Church- 
yard, however, were buried persons of note, whose monuments surpassed 
those of the Cathedral itself in number and curious workmanship. On 
the walls of this cloister was the famous series of paintings of the Dance 
of Death, with a metrical description of each design translated by 
John Lydgate from inscriptions attached to a similar series at Basel in 
Switzerland. 



THE FOUNDATION 41 

called the dance of Paules, about the same cloister, costly 
and cunningly wrought, and the chappel in the middest of 
the same churchyard were all begun to be pulled downe 
to provide materials for the building of Somerset House. 
Also the charnal house of Pauls with the chappels there ^ 
(after the tombes and other monuments of the dead were 
pulled downe and the dead men's bones buried in the fields) 
were converted into dwelling-houses and shops. About 
the same time the steeple and most part of the church of 
S. John of Jerusalem, neare unto Smithfield, most beautifully 
newe builded by the Lord Prior named Docwra was under- 
mined and overthrowne with gunpowder, the stone whereof 
was applied in the building of the Lord Protector's house 
at the Strand." 2 

Outrageous as these measures appear to the mind of the 
twentieth century, they were nevertheless but lightly 
regarded in the age of Somerset. The proceedings sanc- 
tioned by Henry VIII. had accustomed the populace to 
acts of vandalism, and every nobleman, whether Papist or 
Protestant, showed an equal readiness to appropriate the 
belongings of the Church. The Revival of Learning had, 
indeed, wrought revolution in many aspects of public life, 
but the standard of taste and the canon of morality were not 
readily influenced. The iniquity of the Duke's proceedings 
is little noticed among contemporary writers, and Stow, who 
lived in Cornhill at the time and never flinched to record 
his observations, does not seem to have been touched by it 
at all. Things which " tooke fire among the Common 

^ These old buildings stood to the south of the Cathedral. Before 
pulling them down Somerset ordered the remains found in the tombs to 
be removed to Finsbury Fields. The site of the charnel-house was after- 
wards covered with dwelling-houses, and warehouses with sheds before 
them for stationers and shopkeepers. 

^ Annales^ ed. 1615. Besides the buildings here enumerated, a chapel 
at the north door of the Cathedral founded by Walter Sherrington, 
chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, by license of King Henry VI., was 
also pulled down and the stone removed to the Strand. 



42 SOMERSET HOUSE 

People," the sacrilege of demolishing the cloister of St. 
Paul's, containing the Dance of Death, left him unmoved, 
though no man can have been more jealous for the preser- 
vation of worthy monuments. In this consideration it must 
not be overlooked that Somerset's Calvinistic views may 
have required the destruction of an emblem so frankly 
Catholic as the Dance of Death, and that the disappearance 
of the work may have brought satisfaction to many besides 
himself. Moreover, much of the demolished property 
(as well as the whole of Covent Garden and Long Acre) 
actually belonged to Somerset, and there can be little doubt 
that such of the properties as were not owned by him were 
already in the hands of the King for secular purposes. An 
Act passed in the first year of Edward VI. 's reign gave all 
chapels, chantries, hospitals, fraternities, and guilds not in 
the actual possession of Henry VIII. to the Crown pleno 
jure. The object of the measure, which was taken in con- 
sequence of the general dissolution of monasteries and 
priories, was the suppression of papal superstitions and the 
foundation of schools and seminaries of learning in the 
Protestant persuasion. Thus all buildings of a Catholic 
character removed by the Duke were probably given to him 
by the King ; at any rate, they are not registered in King 
Edward's book of the sales of chantries, &c., printed in 
Strype's Ecclesiastical Memorials. Into this class of build- 
ings would fall more especially all the petty religious 
establishments in the neighbourhood of St. Paul's, viz., the 
cloister and chapel in Pardon Churchyard, the chapel at the 
north door of the Cathedral, and the charnel-house with its 
chapel ; and it would also include the larger edifice belong- 
ing to the Hospital of St. John ^ at Clerkenwell, which, 

^ The steeple or bell-tower of the Priory Church of" St. John of 
Jerusalem is described by Stow, from his own personal recollection, as 
having been ornamented in an uncommon manner. It was engraved, 
gilded, and enamelled in 1504 by Thomas Docwra, then prior, and 
surpassed in beauty any other edifice of its kind in London. 



THE FOUNDATION 43 

though suppressed by Henry VIII. in 1541, had been 
preserved against " spoil and downpuUing " so long as he 
remained King. Not only did the Act transfer the pro- 
perties to the Crown, but also it bestowed a yearly recom- 
pense during life upon every priest or other person so 
deprived of a ready livelihood. 

As regards St. Margaret's Church, it must be re- 
membered that this edifice stood within the precincts 
of Westminster Abbey and was doubtless affected by 
the Acts of Dissolution. This circumstance would be 
known to the Duke, who might have claimed a legal 
justification for the contemplated vandalism. Writers 
who have affirmed that his plans were directed not only 
against the church but against the Abbey itself, have 
strained the limits of credulity in their desire to defame the 
Protector. Although the revenues of the Abbey were very 
large, its lands were never impropriated under the Acts, but 
reserved entirely for pious uses, except so far as they were 
charged with the payment of certain stipends to professors 
and students at Oxford and Cambridge, Though actually 
surrendered in accordance with the law, the Abbey was in 
effect re-established and granted the dignity of a cathedral 
with a bishop, a dean, and twelve prebendaries. The first 
and only bishop, Thirlbye, relinquished his see in 1550, and 
the Abbey was then reunited with the diocese of London, 
retaining by special Act of Parliament its dignity as a cathe- 
dral, with its dean and prebendaries. It is, therefore, in 
the highest degree improbable that the Protector, with 
whom personal popularity was of primary consideration, 
should have projected destructive measures against a fabric 
which it was clearly the universal desire to preserve. 
Moreover, his strong Protestant views alone would have 
deterred him from demolishing a cathedral possessing a full 
establishment of ecclesiastics merely for the aggrandisement 
of his own palace. As to the property which was cleared 



44 SOMERSET HOUSE 

from the site at the Strand, it is only necessary to observe 
that where evidence of the Duke's transactions for the 
acquisition of an edifice is forthcoming, it is found that 
his way of dealing was by fair and equitable exchange. 
Nothing remains to show that when recompense was due he 
did not make it in full measure. On the contrary, for the 
loss of his house at the Strand the Bishop of Chester was 
rewarded by the gift of the parsonage of Henbury, in Staf- 
fordshire, ^ while the Bishop of Worcester, for the loss of 
his, received the grant of another in Whitefriars. But this, 
Spelman asserts, was a mark of the Duke's especial regard 
for Dr. Hooper, then Bishop of Worcester ; though it is 
at least equally probable that Hooper, unlike his colleagues 
of Lichfield and Llandaff, was too upright to divest his see 
of any appurtenance without a visible and specified compen- 
sation. The decline in the revenues of the bishopric of 
Llandaff was too great at this period to be accounted for 
except by the bishop's own extravagances. Bishop Babing- 
ton, who was appointed to the see in 1591, jocularly 
remarked that he was merely the Bishop of Aff, the 
Land having been taken away. And it cannot be sup- 
posed that the Duke, who lost no opportunity to befriend 
the poor, would so outrage the rights of mankind as to 
overthrow such buildings as have been named without a 
legal justification and full recompense either in money or 
kind. 

Undeniably Somerset's cardinal indiscretion was com- 
mitted in the removal of the human remains found in 
Pardon Churchyard, the charnel-house, and other places, to 
unconsecrated ground. Stow says that the bones from the 
charnel-house " were conveyed from thence into Finsbury 
Field, amounting to more than a thousand cartloads, and 
there laid on moorish ground, which was in a short space 
afterwards raised by soilage from the City upon them to 
^ MS. in Cottonian Library. Vesp. L. xiv. 2. 



THE FOUNDATION 45 

bear three windmills." ^ There can be little doubt that this 
inconsiderate procedure aroused a good deal of animosity 
against the Protector, and his enemies may be supposed to 
have used it to the utmost as an aggravation of his offences. 
Indeed, the indecent manner in which the dead were 
removed "did something to alienate the people's minds 
from him, which the Earl of Warwick perceiving thought 
it now a fit time to be falling upon him." 2 

Whatever may have been the attitude of those imme- 
diately affected by the demolitions, it does not appear to 
have deterred the Duke in the execution of his designs. 
While he himself worked ceaselessly in the interests of the 
State, carrying war to the Scottish capital or planning with 
Cranmer the triumph of Protestantism, a band of his 
faithful servants pushed forward the erection of the new 
palace ; and day by day as he passed to and fro on the 
business of his office, he would watch the progress of the 
work, discussing with his architect details of the plans, 
and looking eagerly for the day when his coach should first 
rattle upon the pavement of his spacious courtyard. 

Concerning Somerset at this time John Knox has 
observed that he preferred watching the masons to listening 
to sermons. The Cistercian habit of the Scottish divine 
doubtless finds something wanton in Somerset's indifferent 
regard for the pulpit, but the more human among us will 
surely acquit him of the crime. 

Many attempts have been made to fix the identity of the 
man whom Somerset employed to design and erect his new 
palace ; but after all the point will remain in dispute. The 
clerk of the works stands forward clearly in the person of 
Robert Lawes ; while the architect in whose mind the struc- 
ture first took shape, and under whose direction it was 

^ In Agas's map {circa 1560) these windmills are depicted, and Wind- 
mill Street, Finsbury, once marked the site. 

2 Sir Richard Baker's Chronicle, p. 326, fol. 1665. 



46 SOMERSET HOUSE 

eventually piled up, flits shadowlike across the scene — is 
here, is there, is nowhere. 

Among the men who lived in touch with Somerset 
three may be considered in this connection. Conjecture has 
fallen upon John Thorpe ; but the accepted period of 
Thorpe's activities {circa 1 570-1610) is too late to sup- 
port this theory. The chief evidence of his work is found 
in a folio of drawings now preserved in the Soane Museum. 
This folio exhibits the plans of various buildings, sections of 
stonework, and perspective designs drawn in pencil and 
finished in ink, all apparently executed upon the pages of the 
book itself. Though the actual drawings are unquestionably 
by Thorpe, it is not reasonable to attribute to him the 
conception of them. Beginning with Henry VII. 's chapel at 
Westminster in 1502, including a ground plan and the eleva- 
tion towards the Strand of Somerset House^ and ending with 
Aston Hall, near Birmingham, which was not completed 
before 161 8, this remarkable volume cannot represent more 
than a succession of copies made by Thorpe from buildings 
or designs already existing. Moreover, it is incredible that 
an architect working on so vast a scale should have escaped 
mention in contemporary literature ; and the differences in 
style alone forbid their attribution to one designer, however 
versatile, even in a period of transition and foreign influence. 
Where documents do exist relating to houses popularly 
accredited to Thorpe, they are found to confirm the suppo- 
sition in no single instance. Like so many others of his 
day who did eminent work, Thorpe is an elusive identity. 
Owing to the presence of certain designs in the Soane folio, 
he has been confused with another ignis fatuus of archaeology, 
John of Padua. 

Regarding this latter personage nothing definite can 
be proved. His name is here and there encountered, but 
never in association with a particular design. As far as can 
be discerned, he lived in England during the years 1542- 




fe = 



m .,: 



THE FOUNDATION 47 

1 549. He was the recipient of two royal grants — one in 
1 544, and a second in 1 549. In the earlier one a wage of 
2s. per diem was bestowed upon " our well-beloved servant 
Johannes de Padua in consideration of the good and faithful 
service which he has done and intends to do us in architec- 
ture and in other inventions in music." ^ He is also 
referred to as " Devizer of his Majesty's buildings." No 
documentary evidence, however, connects him with any 
specific work either in architecture or music, though from 
the terms of the grants it is clear that both Henry VIII. 
and Edward VI. benefited by his skill in architecture, and it is 
of course possible that the royal grant of 1 549 was bestowed 
at the instance of Somerset, who may have taken the Italian 
into his patronage for the express purpose of procuring a 
good design for his palace. But of all this nothing definite 
is ascertainable ; though a suggestion may be found in the 
charge alleged against Somerset at his trial, that while the 
King was engaged in costly wars and London much disor- 
dered by the Plague, he had brought architects from Italy 
and designed such a palace as had not been seen in Eng- 
land. 2 Efforts have been made to identify John of Padua 
with John Thorpe, Sir John Thynne, and even Dr. John 
Caius (founder of Gonville and Caius College), but so 
far unsuccessfully. It is to be observed, however, that, 
although Dr. John Caius is reputed to be the architect 
of Caius College, a manuscript in the Gough collection 
states that there was in the Combination Room at the 
College " a portrait of John of Padua who built the College 
and Somerset House on the old front of which next the 
Strand were some Doric columns like those at Caius 
College." 3 

' Walpole's Anecdotes of Painting and Rymer's Fcedera. 

2 See The Lives ^ Trials, and Executions of the Royal and Noble Personages 
who suffered for High Treason and other Crimes, by Delahay Gordon, vol. i. 

p. 341- 

3 Letter from Smart Lethuillier to Dr. Ducarel. 



48 SOMERSET HOUSE 

Sir John Thynne in his youth lived at the Court of 
Henry VIII., and " being an ingenious man and a travalier^'' 
was taken into the house of the Duke of Somerset (then 
Earl of Hertford), whose steward he afterwards became. 
He was with Hertford's Scottish expedition in 1544, 
and again at Pinkie Cleugh (September 10, 1547), in which 
engagement he was wounded. Somerset knighted him on the 
battlefield. After this campaign, while Somerset was absorbed 
in public affairs Sir John Thynne managed all matters re- 
lating to his private household, and during 1548 and 1549 
(according to papers preserved at Longleat) carried on nego- 
tiations for the building of a new mansion for the Protector 
at Bedwyn Brail End, in Wiltshire. ^ Thynne's conduct in 
his capacity of steward provoked Paget (one of the Council) 
to write concerning him that " there is nothing his grace 
requires so much to take heed of as that man's proceedings," 
which we accept in a complimentary sense as having 
reference to Thynne's great care and assiduity in his 
master's business. The chief reason for counting Thynne 
a possible architect of Somerset House is that, apart from 
his close interest in the Duke's affairs, he is known to have 
been a capable designer. Indeed, his own mansion, Long- 
leat, in Wiltshire, built during the years 1 567-1 579, and 
one of the first examples of the Elizabethan style in 
domestic architecture, is more probably designed by Thynne 
himself than by John Thorpe or John of Padua, to whom it 
has occasionally been credited. And with such an oppor- 
tunity for the exercise of his talent as was presented in the 
project of Somerset House, it is not improbable that he may 
have undertaken the design. In any case his supervision of 
the building operations must have been of the closest. 

In discussing the relationships of these men we have not 
exhausted the list of those who claim our consideration. 

^ Wilts Archaological Magazine, vol. xv. : " The Seymours of Wulf 
Hall," by Canon J. E. Jackson. 



THE FOUNDATION 49 

Jerome da Treviso, Sir Richard Lea (King Henry's Master 
Mason), Hector Ashley, and Hans Holbein have all been 
mentioned at one time or another in connection with the 
design of the Protector's palace. But as the evidence 
adduced has never justified more than a conceivable possi- 
bility of their authorship, it is not here recounted. Tradition 
has consistently favoured John of Padua, whose fame has long 
outlasted the certain record of his works. It is, however, 
doubtful whether his claim is more firmly grounded than 
those of John Thorpe and Sir John Thynne. 

Practically, the architect is unknown. We may suppose, 
from a clear correspondence in style, that the designer of 
Longleat was the designer also of Somerset House ; but, as 
we have seen, the authorship of Longleat is undetermined. 
However, though the architect be forgotten, the building 
in its day was reputed to be the best domestic edifice in the 
country. No critical appreciation of it has been found in 
the literature of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The 
writer of a Critical View of Public 'Buildings (1734) was 
perhaps the earliest to note its special character in relation 
to English architecture. *' 1 am extremely pleased," he 
observes, " with the front of the first court of Somerset 
House, next the Strand, as it affords us a view of the first 
dawning of taste in England, this being the only fabric that 
I know of which deviates from the Gothic or imitates the 
manner of the ancients. Here are columns, arches, and 
cornices that appear to have some meaning : if proportions 
are neglected, if beauty is not perfectly understood, if there 
is a strange mixture of barbarism and splendour in it, the 
mistakes admit of great alleviations : in all probability the 
architect was an Englishman, and this is the first attempt 
to refine on his predecessors. The Duke, who was at the 
expense of this costly undertaking, is to be applauded for 
setting this glorious example of a taste till then unknown in 
the kingdom, for choosing so charming a situation just in the 

4 



50 SOMERSET HOUSE 

middle of the bow which the river forms between the bridge 
and Westminster, commanding the prospect both ways and 
looking directly on the fine hills of Surrey." 

At Somerset's death in 1552 there can be little doubt 
that the erection of his palace was not achieved. i A com- 
parison of the conscious and effective design both of the 
Strand front and the main quadrangle with the characterless 
facade towards the river, suggests either that the latter 
belonged to an earlier foundation or that during the 
reactionary reign of Mary Tudor the original design was 
purposely set aside. Be this as it may, the river frontage 
represents a reversion to the pre-Renaissance idea, and shows 
but a meek advance upon the style exhibited in the adja- 
cent palace of Savoy, with which it may well have been 
designed to harmonise. Here again we are reminded of the 
imperfection of historical record. Although Stow leads us 
to infer that the whole of the site occupied by Somerset 
House was cleared at one time, reasons are not wanting 
to support a quite different hypothesis. The residence 
presented to the Duke in 1539 must be identified with one 
or the other of the two buildings called Chester Inn in 
Stow's Survey. Both of these buildings once belonged to 
the Bishop of Chester, but it is not unlikely that in 1539 
they were at the King's disposal. At any rate, Chester Inn 
passed into the Duke's possession as a town mansion. Next 
we must notice that on the 26th of October, 1547, and again 
on the 19th of February, 1548, the Duke addressed letters 
from Somerset Place, and that at his trial he was accused of 
holding a Court of Requests in his own house at the Strand, 
and of having, on the 20th of April, 1551, " compassed and 
imagined with other persons at Somerset Place in the Strand 
to deprive the King of his royal dignity." There can thus 

^ Walpole states that the walls only were finished when the Duke was 
led to the scaffold {Jnecdotes of Paintings vol. i. 218), but on what 
authority we have failed to ascertain. 



THE FOUNDATION 51 

be little doubt that throughout his Protectorate Somerset 
continued to reside at the Strand, either in the house 
formerly belonging to the Bishop of Chester and renamed 
Somerset Place, or in a new one erected close by. Moreover, 
we find in this circumstance a possible explanation of the 
fact that the design of the river front of Somerset House 
antedated that of the rest of the structure, and was clearly 
not made by John of Padua, or any other architect working 
in the spirit of the Renaissance. The obvious though 
unauthenticated conclusion is that before Somerset became 
Protector he had already built a new mansion on the site 
of old Chester Place, and that afterwards, when the need 
arose for a more splendid and commodious edifice, the 
extension to the Strand was undertaken by an architect of 
the new school. 

This part of the building may here be more particularly 
described. Its Strand facade consisted of a centre and 
wings. The centre (of three storeys) was composed of a 
Doric basement with four pillars and entablature, a large 
arched gateway and niches. The second and third ranges 
were Ionic with a niche over the gateway in the second, and 
a double column over the niche in the third. Large 
windows filled the intercolumniations. The wings (of two 
storeys) were composed of Doric and Ionic pillars, and their 
entablatures, with pediments crowning the second tiers. 
Each wing had four large windows, while the rest of the 
facade had eight windows with pediments. The gateway 
from the Strand led into a large courtyard, " garnished on 
all sides with rows of freestone buildings, and at the front a 
piazza with stone pillars, which support the buildings, and a 
pavement of freestone." 

Whether, as some have asserted, the architect of this 
building was an Englishman, or whether, as is maintained by 
others, the design was by John of Padua, does not affect the 
question of its style. Style in this instance belongs to the time 



52 SOMERSET HOUSE 

rather than to the man. Looking at the Strand facade as 
here shown, it could not fail to be adjudged by modern 
authority to the period circa 1550 ; and as in every language 
there are poets whose accents must always remain indis- 
tinguishably anonymous, so in architecture there is many a 
brave reputation unknown. The designer of old Somerset 
House, not certainly identified among the spirits of his time, 
was beyond question a man of singular discernment and 
much original power. He lived in the crucial moment when 
the flower of Gothic architecture, too long full-blown, had 
begun leaf by leaf to wither and lose its fragrance, when 
according to the laws which govern the great movements of 
the mind, the regenerate graft of a new idea must come to 
save the old stock from futility and death. That new idea 
lay in the classic style of Greece and Rome ; and the bold 
step which he was able to take in that direction establishes 
the vigour and imaginative capacity of the Lord Protector's 
architect. Working in a new style is like speaking in a new 
language : at first the sentences are disjointed and the old 
accent mars the grace of every expression ; only Time can 
bring the perfect transmutation. Though Classic in inten- 
tion and mainly Classic in the details of its execution, we 
comprehend the Gothic taint of Old Somerset House in a 
single glance, even in its Strand frontage, while in that 
towards the river little deviation from the Gothic can be 
traced. Nevertheless, the building is one of the earliest 
examples of Renaissance architecture in England ; and it 
undoubtedly played an important part in the change of taste 
which continued during the reign of Elizabeth, until the 
triumph of the Classical style in the work of Inigo Jones 
involved the extinction of the Gothic which had so long 
predominated. 



CHAPTER II 

SOMERSET HOUSE UNDER THE TUDORS 

" '' I ^HE Duke of Somerset had his head cut off on Tower 

X Hill." So runs the laconic entry in the Journal 

of Edward VI., under date the 22nd of January, 1552. 

Evidence that the young King was interested in the building 

of his uncle's palace or that he ever himself contemplated 

residence there, is not forthcoming. The Duke, condemned 

on a charge of felony and not for treason, retained for his 

family the right of succession to the lands and dignities he 

possessed at death. It was necessary, therefore, in order to 

complete the downfall of the Seymours, to frame a special 

Act of Parliament " for the limitation of the late Duke of 

Somerset's lands," and to declare his titles forfeit. Such an 

Act was passed on the 12th of April, 1552 ; and in the 

partition of the estates which immediately followed, the new 

palace in the Strand was conveyed to the Princess Elizabeth 

in lieu of Durham House, for which, according to her 

correspondence of the time, she had made request. 

Between the date of the Protector's death and that of 

Edward VI. 's, a sum of ^^900 was charged to the account of 

the new building, but in what manner it was expended 

nothing remains to show. Indeed, we do not know in what 

condition the operations were found at the accession of 

Mary (6th of July, 1 553). Whether, as may be supposed, the 

work upon the extravagance of which so much stress had 

been laid by Somerset's enemies, was suspended at his 

53 



54 SOMERSET HOUSE 

impeachment, or whether it was allowed to proceed according 
to some modified plan, is not determined by existing records. 
At any rate, if operations were continued, the building was 
not completed ; for the MS. copy of Norden's Speculum 
Britannia {circa 1580) describes it as "not fully finished, 
yet a most stately house and of great receyte having chief 
prospect towards the South, and the sweet river Thamise 
offereth manie pleasing delights. The fields also and the aire 
are sweet and pleasant. The Right Hon. the Lord Hunsdon, 
Lord Chamberlayne to Her Majestie hath, under Her 
Majestic, the use thereof." In a collection of undated 
papers probably relating to the year 1561, is an account of 
the gross amount of charges incurred at Dover, Somerset 
Place, Westminster, and Hampton Court, evidently for 
small repairs ; and under date the 4th of June, 1575, is an 
" estimate of the works at Somerset House," Further, on 
the 22nd of July, 1596, a warrant was issued " to pay sums 
not to exceed ^4,000 for repairs to . . . Somerset House, 
Eltham, Richmond, and others of the Queen's residences." 
These bald facts, however, do not throw much light on the 
subject, and we can only surmise that until the reign of 
James I. the building stood in the condition in which it was 
left at the beginning of the reign of Mary. In this we are 
supported by Stow's reference to the palace in the second 
edition of his Survey (1603), which describes it as "yet 
unfinished." 

Concerning Elizabeth's visits to Somerset House there is 
but scant information. She does not appear ever to have 
remained long in residence there, although throughout her life, 
and particularly when she kept her Court at Whitehall, her 
coach often rumbled across the quadrangle as she came to 
attend the Council, or to honour one or another of the 
residents with a call. And on more than one occasion 
during her reign, the palace formed the background of a 
pageantry unsurpassed in history. 







z a: 



P^ *s 



2 s 



UNDER THE TUDORS 55 

On the 29th of July, 1 553, "the lady Elizabeth came riding 
from her house at Hatfield to London, attended with a great 
company of lords, nobles, and gentlemen, unto her place 
called Somerset House, beyond Strand Bridge " ; the " great 
company," according to another account, consisting of two 
thousand horse, armed with spears, bows, and guns. In the 
train appeared Sir John Williams, Sir John Bridges, and the 
Chamberlain, all being dressed in green, their coats faced 
with velvet, satin, taffeta, silk or cloth according to their 
quality. Next day Elizabeth rode forth beyond Aldgate to 
meet her sister the Queen ; and when, on the 3rd of August, 
Mary made her triumphal entry into London, " to take 
possession of her capital," the Princess rode at her side, 
receiving a full share of the popular acclamation. For some 
weeks she was in constant attendance upon the Queen, and 
during that time continued in residence at Somerset House, 
" affable and accessible to all, thus making head on her own 
account." ^ She was here for the obsequies of Edward VL, 
which took place at Westminster on the 8th of August ; here 
also at the Queen's coronation, when she rode in the royal 
procession from the Tower to Westminster, "eated with 
the Lady Anne of Cleves (Henry VIII.'s fourth wife) " in a 
red chariot covered with cloth of silver." 

Again, on the 28th of November, 1556, Elizabeth passed 
through London on her way from Hatfield to Somerset 
House. A contemporary account describes how there 
"came riding through Smithfield and Old Bailey and 
through Fleet Street unto Somerset Place, my good lady 
Elizabeth's grace, the Queen's sister, with a great company 
of velvet coats and chains, her grace's gentlemen ; and after, 
a great throng of her men all in red coats, guarded with 
a broad guard of black velvet and cuts." She was welcomed 
with delight by the people, and three days later visited the 
Queen at Whitehall, where she was very graciously received. 
^ Youth of Queen Elizabeth, by Louis Wicsener. 



56 SOMERSET HOUSE 

She purposed remaining at Court for the Christmas festivi- 
ties, but a quarrel arose over her refusal to respond to the 
matrimonial advances of Philibert of Savoy, and two days 
after her arrival at Whitehall she was despatched under 
escort to Hatfield. She did not, however, remain long in 
seclusion. On the 25th of February, 1557, attended by a 
noble company of lords and gentlemen, she came to do her 
duty to the Queen, and rested at Somerset House till the 
28th, when she repaired to Her Majesty at Whitehall, and 
was received in state. Then, her duty accomplished, " one 
morning in March the lady Elizabeth took her horse and 
rode to the Palace of Shene with a goodly company of 
lords, knights and gentlemen." i This visit was probably 
in connection with the return to England of Philip of Spain 
(Mary's husband) — an event which restored the Queen to 
unwonted cheerfulness, and caused an interval of gaiety in 
the dismal routine of the Court. 

During the following summer Elizabeth entertained the 
Queen with great magnificence at Hatfield. The reconcilia- 
tion was evidently gratifying to the Queen, who showed her 
appreciation of Elizabeth's hospitality by arranging a grand 
fete champetre at Richmond Palace later in the season. In 
order to be present on this occasion Elizabeth came specially 
to Somerset House, and proceeded thence to Richmond by 
water, the Queen sending a state barge for her conveyance. 
Upon this barge the Princess sat under a canopy of green 
silk embroidered with branches of eglantine and golden 
blossoms, and festooned with garlands of flowers. She was 
attended by the comptroller of her household. Sir Thomas 
Pope, and four ladies of honour. Six boats followed with 
the ladies and gentlemen of her retinue, dressed in robes of 
russet damask, embroidered with blue satin, and adorned 
with acorns and spangles, and wearing hats made of cloth of 
silver and green plumes. Queen Mary received Elizabeth 
^ See Strype's Memorials, vol. iii. p. 444. 



UNDER THE TUDORS 57 

and her brilliant train in the garden of Richmond Palace, and 
entertained them at a banquet spread in a pavilion of cloth 
of gold and violet velvet, embroidered with silk fleurs de lis 
and the golden pomegranate (device of Elizabeth's mother, 
Anne Boleyn). Following the banquet came a concert in 
which the most famous minstrels of the time were gathered 
to gratify the musical taste of the two sisters. At sunset 
the Queen's barge, all garlanded, was again launched with 
the Princess on board, and, followed by the train of atten- 
dant boats, was rowed slowly back to Somerset House. 
Since Queen Guenevere went a- Maying into woods and 
fields beside Westminster, with her lords and ladies clad all 
in green, there had surely been witnessed no prettier pageant 
than this of Elizabeth, ending at Somerset House in the 
summer twilight. 

Mary died on the 17th of November, 1558, and " without 
further tract of time" Elizabeth was proclaimed Queen. 
Again the event found her at Hatfield, where, three days 
later, she held her first Council. On the 23rd she began 
her progress to London. The Bishops met her on the road, 
and all kissed hands except Bonner (of London), from 
whom she turned away " as if there had been blood 
upon his lips." Proceeding to the Charter House, then 
the town residence of Lord North, she rested there five 
days. On the 28 th of November she took possession of the 
Tower, where she remained until "the 5th of December 
being Mondaie on which daie she removed by water unto 
Summerset place in the Strond where she arrived about ten 
of the clocke of the forenoone of the same daie." Here 
she sat in Council daily, viz., December 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 
12, 13, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, and 22. Concerning 
these deliberations. Stow remarks that the Queen began 
then to put in practice that Oath of Supremacy which her 
father had first ordained, and which soon became the 
test whereby the Council was sifted of those whose 



58 SOMERSET HOUSE 

allegiance to the Roman faith was determined by con- 
science. 

On the 14th of December, 1558, Mary was buried 
according to the Catholic ritual at Westminster, and on 
the 23rd Elizabeth transferred her Court from Somerset 
House to Whitehall. 

Notwithstanding her departure, the Palace continued 
to play an important part in matters pertaining to politics 
and the life of the Court. The Council, which appears to 
have met at such places as were found convenient, repeatedly 
assembled there. Bishop Goodman, writing shortly after the 
rout of the Armada, gives a graphic description of a pageant 
witnessed in the courtyard after a meeting of the Council : 
"In the year '88 I did then live at the upper end of the 
Strand, near St. Clement's Church, when suddenly there was 
a report (it was then December, about five, and very dark) 
that the Queen was gone to Council ; and I was told, * If 
you will see the Queen, you must come quickly.' Then we 
all ran, when the Court gates were set open, and no man 
hindered us from coming in. There we staid an hour and 
a half, and the yard was full, there being a great number of 
torches, when the Queen came out in great state ; then we 
cried, 'God save your Majesty ! ' and the Queen turned to 
us and said, ' God bless you all, my good people ! ' Then 
we cried again, ' God save your Majesty ! ' And the Queen 
said again to us, ' Ye may well have a greater prince, but ye 
shall never have a more loving prince.' And so the Queen 
and the crowd there, looking upon one another awhile, her 
Majesty departed. This wrought an impression upon us, 
for shows and pageants are best seen by torchlight ; that all 
the way long we did nothing but talk of what an admirable 
Queen she was, and how we would all adventure our lives 
in her service. Now this was in the year when she had 
most enemies, and how easily they might have gotten into 
the crowd and multitude to do her mischief." 



UNDER THE TUDORS 59 

It is known that the Council sat at Somerset House on 
the 1 6th of November, 1589, and that Elizabeth was present. 
In connection with the Queen's visit on this occasion the 
bells of St. Margaret's, Westminster, were rung as she 
arrived, and again as she left on her way to Richmond. 
Record also exists of a meeting of the Council at Somerset 
House on the 1 8 th of February, 1593, and of another on 
the 4th of December, 1595. Indeed, there is good ground 
for supposing that the deliberations of the Council were 
ordinarily carried on in an apartment of the palace. 

On ascending the throne Elizabeth had shown her regard 
for the memory of the Lord Protector by restoring certain 
lands of which his family had been deprived to his son, 
Edward Seymour, upon whom, moreover, she bestowed the 
Protector's earlier title of Earl of Hertford, with the right 
to occupy Somerset House (or part of it) as a residence. 
The Palace remained in the hands of the Crown, however, 
and other relatives and dependants of the Queen were lodged 
in it. From time to time also it was requisitioned for the 
accommodation of foreign ambassadors and other distin- 
guished visitors from abroad. In 1554, when Philibert of 
Savoy came to England in quest of Elizabeth's hand, apart- 
ments were prepared for him at Somerset House ; but it is 
not certain they were ever occupied, as the record ends 
after stating that the Prince was laid up at Dover for fifteen 
days suffering badly from the voyage oversea. Another 
suitor, the Duke of Holstein, went by water in the afternoon 
of the 28th of March, 1560, to take over the apartments 
which had been assigned to him while he remained in 
London to plead the advantages of a marriage between 
Elizabeth and his uncle, Frederick II. of Denmark. Again 
in 1572, when Francis, Duke of Montmorency, Marshal of 
France, visited England to seek the hand of Elizabeth for 
the Due d'Alen^on, youngest brother of Charles IX. ot 
France, he occupied Somerset House. An escort of thirty 



60 SOMERSET HOUSE 

of the Queen's yeomen attended him, and he was entertained 
at the public expense for nearly a month. Notwithstanding 
this excellent hospitality, the Marshal does not appear to 
have fared with greater success than his numerous predeces- 
sors in the hopeless quest. To judge by the length of his 
stay, however, his eloquence must have been pleasing to the 
Queen, who no doubt took advantage of the occasion to tip 
the political balance in her own favour ; but on the question 
of matrimony her view had long before been stated with 
considerable emphasis, if not with warmth : " This shall be 
for me sufficient," she had said, " that a marble stone shall 
declare that a queen having reigned such a time died a 
virgin." About this period also the Count Palatine of the 
Rhine, an ally of Elizabeth, lived for three weeks at 
Somerset House while engaged in political business at 
Whitehall. And towards the close of the reign (29th of 
February, 1600) we read in a newsletter that " Some great 
man is expected from France. Some say it is the Duke of 
Mayenne, and that Somerset House is preparing for him." 

Its usefulness in this direction does not appear to have 
been restricted by any official view of human aspiration or 
public requirement. Sir William Cecil (afterwards Lord 
Burleigh) notes in his diary how " Cornelius de la Noye, 
an alchemist, wrought in Somerset House, and abused many," 
amongst them the Queen herself, to whom he professed the 
power of manufacturing gems, of transmuting base metals 
into gold, and of distilling the draught of perennial youth. 
Unfortunately for himself, for Queen Elizabeth, and for the 
world, his promises failed of fulfilment, and *' for abusing the 
Queen's Majesty " he was condemned to exchange his labora- 
tory at Somerset House for a cell in the Tower. A letter from 
Armigill Waad to Cecil, dated from Somerset Place on the 
7th of March, 1566, seems to indicate that Lannoy was on 
the point of being arrested at that time. The letter explains 
that " a certain person " has arranged the plan of his depar- 



UNDER THE TUDORS 61 

ture, and describes his probable movements prior to his 
escape, carrying with him his famous medicine or elixir, and 
the irons for casting ingots. The writer recommends an 
immediate arrest, which was doubtless effected, for in the 
following July we find Armigill Waad's report of his 
examination of Cornelius Lannoy in the Tower. During 
the next twelve months the magician crops up in prison, 
vainly promising to put in immediate operation his wonderful 
elixir if the Queen will but free him of his confinement. 
Again and again he implored mercy, but it was not until 
the 28th of May, 1567, that the order was given "for 
keeping back all boats on the Thames, and for bringing 
Cor(nelius de la Noye) to Court to-morrow." During the 
months of his imprisonment Elizabeth may have grown 
alarmed at the decline of her youth ; at any rate she was 
anxious for the precious distillation, and was willing even 
to give yet another chance to the incarcerated impostor. 
What became of Lannoy after his appearance at Court on 
the 29th of May, 1567, we are not told, but, judging by 
the ultimate death of Elizabeth, we may conclude that once 
more he failed in his magic. The Queen's devotion to the 
occult was, however, notorious ; and though Lannoy might 
deceive her expectations, it is not difficult to imagine the 
kind of interest his experiments would arouse. The wizard 
and the quack in that age of wondering inquiry had an 
ample field for the practice of trickery, and credulous 
persons on the watch for a new sensation flocked to their 
demonstrations even more readily than they do to-day. 

One of the earliest of Elizabeth's state progresses, that of 
1 56 1 into Essex, Suffolk, and Hertfordshire, began at 
Somerset House, where the Queen spent the night before 
her departure. The details of her household expenditure 
on this occasion, preserved in the official accounts, reveal 
many curious habits and tastes of the time. Ten years 
later, on the 23rd January, 1571, the Queen, *' attended 



62 SOMERSET HOUSE 

with her nobility, came from her house in the Strand, called 
Somerset House," to visit the new Bourse erected by Sir 
Thomas Gresham. She was at Somerset House in 1575, 
when she gave the building into the keeping of her cousin, 
Lord Hunsdon ; and relative to her residence there in 
1588, a description has been preserved of the great thanks- 
giving after the defeat of the Armada. ^ It is the " Pro- 
ceedinge in State of the High and Mighty Prince Elizabeth, 
by the Grace of God Queene of England Fraunce and 
Irland etc., from Somersett Place to St. Paule's Church in 
London," and enables us to gather some idea of the 
picturesque animation which from time to time filled the 
courtyard of the Palace in the Strand. "The foure and 
twentieth of November (1588), being Sunday, her Majestic 
having attendant upon her the Privie Councell and Nobilitie 
and other honourable persons as well Spirituall as Temporall 
in great number, the French Ambassador, the Judges of the 
Realme, the Heraults, Trumpetters, and all on horsebacke 
did come in a chariot-throne made with foure pillars behind 
to have a canopie, on the toppe whereof was made a crowne 
imperiall, and two lower pillars before whereon stood a lyon 
and a dragon, supporters of the armes of Englande, drawn 
by two white horses from Somerset-house to the Cathedrall 
Church of St. Paul, her footmen and pensioners about her : 
next after rode the Earle of Essex, Master of the Horse, 
leading her Majestie's horse of estate richly furnished : after 
him a great number of Ladies of Honour, on each side 
of them the guarde on foot in their rich coats, and halbards 
in their hands. At what time before she came at the 
Temple Bar, Edward Schets Corvinus, an officer of her 
Privie Chamber gave her Majestic a Jewell, contayning a 
crapon or toade-stone set in golde, which she graciously 
accepting said it was the first gift she had received that 
day. The same day also her Highnesse received a Booke 
' See Progresses of Queen E/izai>et/> {Nichols). 



UNDER THE TUDORS 63 

entituled The Light of Britaine by the gift of Henry Lite 
of Litescarie, gentleman, the author thereof. Over the 
gate of the Temple Bar were placed the waites of the Citie. 
And at the same Bar the Lord Maior, and his brethren the 
Aldermen in scarlet received and welcomed her Majestie to 
her Citie and Chamber delivering to her hands the Scepter, 
which after certain speeches had, her Highnesse redelivered 
it to the Maior, and he again taking his horse, bare the 
same before her. The Companies of the Citie in their 
liveries stoode in their rayles of tymber covered with blue 
cloth, all of them saluting her Highnesse as she proceeded 
along to Paules church, where at the great West door, shee 
dismounting from her chariot-throne betweene the houres 
of twelve and one, was received by the Bishop of London, 
the Deane of Paul's and other of the Clergie, to the number 
of more than fiftie all in rich coapes, where her Highnesse 
on her knees made her heartie prayers unto God ; which 
prayers being finished shee was, under a rich canopie, brought 
through the long West isle to her travers in the quire, the 
clergy singing the Letanie ; which being ended she was 
brought to a closet of purpose made out of the North wall 
of the Church towards the pulpit crosse, where she heard a 
sermon made by Doctor Pierce, Bishop of Salisbury, and 
then returned through the Church to the Bishop's Palace 
where shee dined ; and returned in like manner as afore, 
but with great light of torches." There follows the full 
order of the procession as it went out in the morning 
and came back at night. It exhibits a striking similarity 
to the state processions of our own time, and excepting 
the lurid effects of the torchlight the spectators at Somerset 
House on November 24, 1588, might well have been 
witnesses of the coronation of Edward VII. 

While Henry Carey, Lord Hunsdon, lay on his deathbed 
at Somerset House (1596), Elizabeth, conscience-stricken 
for her neglect of him, caused a patent for the Earldom 



64 SOMERSET HOUSE 

of Wiltshire to be drawn out, robes to be made, and both 
to be laid upon his bed. But the sick man could not forget 
her former disregard, and when she came to his chamber he 
received her with bitter words : " Madam," he said, " seeing 
you counted me not worthy of this honour whilst I was 
living, I count myself unworthy of it now I am dying." 
The Queen evidently did not long resent the rebuke, for 
later in the same year she granted the office of keeper 
of the palace, vacant by Lord Hunsdon's death, to his 
widow: "fee of I2d. a day, and the garden there, fee 
6d. a day." 

In view of the subsequent association of Somerset House 
with the cause of Roman Catholicism, it is interesting to 
note its connection, up to this point, with the first 
Protestant rulers of England — with the Lord Protector, 
by whose activity the movement towards reform was first 
firmly established, and with Elizabeth, under whom it was 
achieved. 







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CHAPTER III 

SOMERSET HOUSE UNDER THE STUARTS 

(i) James I. 

WE come now to consider what is perhaps the most 
fertile and interesting period of our investigation. 
It is a period of structural change, wherein the genius 
of Inigo Jones impressed itself so strongly upon English 
architecture, and Somerset House, restored to the front 
rank of royal palaces, became the centre of English 
social life. 

Some months elapsed after the death of Queen Elizabeth 
(24th of March, 1603), before Anne of Denmark, Queen 
of James I. of England, took up her residence at Somerset 
House. Quite the most absorbing interest of Anne's life 
consisted in its pleasures. Of these the chief was her 
participation in the elegant pastimes which exercised so 
much of the intellect of her generation, and influenced the 
progress of English literature and art. If the nam€ of 
Queen Elizabeth be associated with the greatest period 
of the English drama, that of Anne — Ben Jonson's 
Oriana, or as he afterwards called her, Bel Anna — is as 
closely attached to history of the English masque and 
similar entertainments. Copious details of her patronage 
of these arts are to be found in Nichols's Progresses of 
James 1. ; at her command many of the masques of Jonson, 

5 «6 



66 SOMERSET HOUSE 

Heywood, Samuel Daniel, and Thomas Campion were 
performed at Court, and not infrequently Her Majesty 
figured in the cast.^ Indeed, as late as 1617 we find her 
dancing at Somerset House in Ben Jonson's " Masque 
of Christmas," with the newly made Earl of Buckingham 
and the Earl of Montgomery. The important plays were, 
however, usually performed at Whitehall, but the Queen 
had several companies of players, or servants, as they were 
afterwards called, and doubtless on occasions not sufficiently 
noteworthy to secure record, plays were presented privately 
at Somerset House. 

Anne, however, was not wholly taken up with the drama. 
She indulged the taste for building which she had already 
gratified in Scotland. In 16 17 we read of her building at 
Greenwich, after a plan of Inigo Jones, and she continually 
employed Jones in architectural changes at Somerset House. 
Light-hearted and extravagant as she undoubtedly was, 
the influence of her Court nevertheless stimulated the 
artistic life of England ; her patronage seems to have been 
readily extended to the production of all graceful things ; 
and it is possible that even while she plunged cheerfully 
into debt in order to gratify her taste for costly amuse- 
ments she was unconsciously fostering the special genius of 
the age. 

It is scarcely matter for wonder that Anne's devotion to 
convivial excitements should have had a counterpart in her 
coquetry with religion. The intricacies of doctrinal dis- 
cussion may have served a purpose other than that of mere 
distraction, but it was nevertheless not clear even to Anne 
herself whether her sympathy was with Rome or the 
Protestants. She attended the services of the Church of 

^ Queen Anne appeared personally in Jonson's " Mask of Blackness " 
(1604), his "Mask of Beauty," and his "Mask of Queens " (1609), 
Daniel's " Thetys' Festival" (16 10) and the "Vision of the Twelve 
Goddesses." 



UNDER THE STUARTS 67 

England with the King, but "never could be induced to 
partake of the Communion at the hands of a Protestant 
minister, and those who were admitted to her privacy in 
Somerset House knew well that as often as she thought she 
could escape observation she was in the habit of repairing to 
a garret for the purpose of hearing mass from the lips of a 
Catholic priest who was smuggled in for the purpose." Not- 
withstanding this we have proof that when her last hour came 
she made open confession of her Protestant beliefs. Abbot, 
Archbishop of Canterbury, and King, Bishop of London, 
attended at her deathbed ; when not only did she follow 
their prayers, but, in answer to the archbishop, declared that 
she " renounced the mediation of all saints and her own 
merits and relied only upon her Saviour." 

In some particulars Anne found Somerset House more 
agreeable than the other residences assigned to her. Green- 
wich Palace, Hampton Court, and Oatlands in Surrey 
were delightful enough as occasional resorts, but the 
peculiar requirements of her Court seem to have been 
best satisfied by the palace in the Strand. Although on 
good terms with the King she kept a separate establishment 
during a great part of her abode in England. The arrange- 
ment inevitably bred little jealousies in the breast of James, 
and over the vast sums she expended on her entertainments 
it is said that her relations with " the little man " sometimes 
reached the point of rupture. Anne's separate Court was 
seldom long absent from Somerset House. No doubt that 
palace had a great advantage in being situated so near the 
City, whence the poets, wits, and gallants of the time had 
ready access to it. Indeed, the immediate neighbourhood 
was described as " an unknown land whereon so many ships 
of song are stranded or lost to oblivion which is blacker 
than darkness itself." But if many stranded, some we know 
sailed gaily about the Court : Ben Jonson, John Donne, 
Thomas Dekker, Samuel Daniel, Thomas Campion, Michael 



68 SOMERSET HOUSE 

Drayton, George Chapman, Thomas Heywood, and perhaps 
Shakespeare himself, were welcomed there. If nothing else 
be credited to Anne this at least must be said of her, that 
she did not misplace her patronage. 

How, soon after her arrival at Windsor, in July, 1603, 
she assumed control of Somerset House, cannot be made 
out, but as early as August 14, 1604, we find her granting 
under her own hand to John Gerrard, surgeon and herbarist 
to the King, the lease of a garden plot adjoining the 
Palace in consideration of " his singular and approved art, 
skill, and industry in planting, nursing, and fostering plants, 
herbs, flowers and fruit," and on condition of his supplying 
her with herbs, flowers, and fruit according to their seasons 
throughout the year. On the loth of October following, 
she gave to Sir Robert Cecil, Lord Cecil of Essingdon, the 
keepership of Somerset House in the Strand, with all 
orchards, walks, gardens, &c., reserving to John Gerrard, of 
London, the garden plot formerly leased to him, and to 
Bromfield, the piece of ground assigned for the erection of a 
tennis court. Gerrard surrendered his interest in the garden 
plot to Cecil in 1605 ; and in 1608 a warrant dormant was 
issued delivering _^50 per annum during the Queen's life for 
fees, and also the sums requisite for expenses of the gardens 
at Theobalds and Somerset House. During the year 1 609, 
the gardens were relaid by William Goodrowse, Sergeant- 
surgeon, who received ;^400 for the work, which had prob- 
ably been necessitated by extensive building operations 
carried out about this time. What had formerly been a 
productive plot under the skilled cultivation of John 
Gerrard became now a formal garden in the Italian style ; 
and Cecil, finding his interest in it had been rendered 
valueless, relinquished all control into the Queen's hands, 
27th of June, 161 1. John Gerrard, here referred to, 
enjoyed much fame as a herbarist ; he was superintendent of 
Lord Burghley's gardens in the Strand and at Theobalds, and 



UNDER THE STUARTS 69 

compiled a Herball, which was issued in 1597, and gained 
him lasting repute. The plot of ground leased to him is 
now occupied by the East Wing of Somerset House and 
King's College. It is described in the original grant as 
" adjoining on the east part to the mansion house called 
Somerset House or Strand House, abutting on the west upon 
the wall of the said house, and on the east upon the lane 
commonly called Strand Lane, on the south upon the bank 
or wall of the river of Thames, and on the north upon the 
back side of the house standing in the high street, called the 
Strand, containing by estimation two acres or thereabouts." 
A gate led out of this garden into Strand Lane, enabling 
Gerrard to conduct his business without disturbing the 
privacy of the Queen's palace. 

In August, 1605, King Christian of Denmark, Oueen 
Anne's brother, who, on 14th of July, 1603, had received 
the Order of the Garter at the hands of the Earl of Rutland, 
at Elsinore, sent Henricus Ramelius, his secretary, to 
England, " to be solemnlie enstalled in his right." Ramelius, 
attended only by thirty gentlemen, and twenty others of 
inferior nature, was, at King James's appointment and 
charge, lodged and dieted at Somerset House. Here the 
party was " served by the King's Gentlemen, Ushers, 
Yeomen of the Guard, and Gromes of the Chamber ; and 
their meate dressed by his Highnesse chiefe cookes," By 
his lavish entertainment of the Danish envoy, James studied 
to impress his royal brother-in-law, who, in 1606, visited 
England in person, and was also entertained at Somerset 
House. On the occasion of this visit the name of the 
palace seems to have been changed to Denmark House. 
Dr. Fuller states that this was done, at James's express 
command, in honour of the royal Dane ; indeed, he goes so 
far as to add that the name was confirmed by the King's 
Proclamation. But, on the other hand, Arthur Wilson, 
historian and chronicler of the period, who consistently 



70 SOMERSET HOUSE 

refers to the building as " the Queen's palace in the Strand," 
says, under the year 1610, that Her Majesty "affected to 
call " her residence Denmark House in compliment to her 
brother, but that this appellation obtained chiefly by courtesy 
among her domestics and dependents. A newsletter of the 
8th of March, 1617,^ however, states that the building was 
not renamed until the Shrove Tuesday of that year when 
King James was brilliantly entertained in the palace at the 
Queen's expense. Whichever of these versions is correct, 
whether James did or did not rename the palace by pro- 
clamation in honour of King Christian, he certainly went to 
very great lengths in the welcome he extended to that 
monarch ; for his expenses in connection with the event, 
together with those incurred in the subsequent reception at 
Hampton Court of the Prince de Vaudemont, son of the 
Duke of Lorraine, consumed nearly the whole of a subsidy 
of _^453,ooo, which had been granted by Parliament for the 
" necessary and urgent demands " of his household. 

King Christian's visit appears to have been particularly 
agreeable to James, who was always eager for an opportunity 
to display his wit and the magnificence of his Court. A 
contemporary chronicle narrates in great detail " the most 
Royall and Honourable Entertainment of the most famous 
and renowned King Christian the fourth. King of Denmarke, 
who with a fleet of gallant ships arrived on Thursday the 
17th day of July, 1606, in Tylbury-hope, neere Gravesend. 
, . . With the Royal passage on Thursday the 31st of 
July through the City of London and the honourable 

' John Chamberlain to Sir Dudley Carleton. At this time the news- 
letters were the main channel by which events became known. Originally 
they were written by professional newsvendors and sent by them to their 
employers weekly. In the early years of the seventeenth century little 
printed news-sheets made their appearance, and gradually the written form 
was superseded. The news was largely collected in the coffee-houses, and 
the letters are an accurate reflection of the times just as the newspapers 
are of to-day. 



UNDER THE STUARTS 71 

Shewes there presented and the manner of their passing." 
The interval, which was spent at Greenwich Palace, at 
Theobalds, and again at Greenwich, is minutely described, 
and the record ends : " Heere-hence they proceeded to 
Temple Barre ; where his Majestie and his Brother King 
giving many thanks unto the Lord Mayor and Citizens for 
their great charge and paines, delivered the sword to the 
Lord Mayor, and rode on their way to Somerset House, 
where they reposed themselves that night, and to their 
gracious further pleasures. Thus finished this daye's 
work to God's glorie and their Highness' great delight ; 
which the Omnipotent Giver of all Grace, and Preserver 
of His, ever encrease and protect them and all their 
Royal Progenie, from all detestable practices in this world ; 
and in the last. Heaven be their inheritance. Amen, 
Amen." ^ 

The conduct of their Majesties on this occasion scarcely 
accords with the spirit of the petition. It is recorded 
elsewhere that the days they spent together were dis- 
tinguished by great intemperance on the part of both 
monarchs, and that Christian, moreover, was guilty of in- 
delicate behaviour to the ladies about the Court, especially 
to the wife of the High Admiral, the Countess of Notting- 
ham, who expressed her keen resentment of his conduct in 
a spirited letter to the Danish Ambassador. As we have 
seen, Anne's Court at Somerset House was not squeamish 
in its morals. In all probability the liberties taken 
by His Majesty of Denmark passed generally as acts 
of royal gallantry. Be this as it may. King Christian 
was so greatly pleased by his reception that, unsolicited 
and unexpected, he revisited the English Court in 1614, 
and led James to squander a sum of ^50,000, which he 
obtained from his subjects under the specious title of a 
benevolence. 

^ Progresses oj James I. (Nichols). 



72 SOMERSET HOUSE 

" The affection between the Queen and her brother the 
King of Denmark was very great ; and this second visit to 
England had no object but the pleasure of seeing her, and 
giving her a happy surprise. He arrived in Yarmouth 
roads July 19, 16 14, accompanied by his lord admiral and 
lord chancellor. He landed privately, travelled with post- 
horses to Ipswich, and on to Brentwood, where he slept 
without any one suspecting his royal rank. Thus incognito 
he arrived at an inn in Aldgate where he dined. Thence, 
hiring a hackney coach, he went to the Queen's Court at 
Somerset House, and had entered her presence chamber 
before any one of her household was aware of his arrival in 
England. His royal sister was not present at the moment : 
she was dining privately in the gallery. While the King of 
Denmark mixed unknown among the courtiers who were 
awaiting the Queen, Cardel, the dancer, looked in his face 
very earnestly, and then said to a French gentleman, one of 
Her Majesty's officers, that ' the stranger-gentleman close 
by was the greatest resemblance to the King of Denmark he 
ever saw in his life,' Then hastening to his royal mistress 
he told her that her brother was certainly in the palace ; but 
Anne treated the information with scorn. But while the 
matter was in discussion, the King of Denmark entered the 
gallery, and raising his hand as a signal of silence to the 
attendants, he approached his sister's chair. Anne was 
seated with her back to him ; and putting his arms around 
her, ere she was aware, he gave her a kiss ; whereby she 
learned the verity of that she had before treated as falsehood. 
The Queen in great joy took off the best jewel she wore 
that day, and gave it to the Frenchman whose tidings she 
had mistrusted. Next she despatched a post to King James 
who was absent on a distant progress, and then devoted her- 
self to her brother's entertainment. King James made such 
haste home from Nottinghamshire, that he was at Somerset 
House on the Sunday, where he was present with the Queen, 



UNDER THE STUARTS 73 

the King of Denmark, and Prince Charles, at a sermon 
preached by Dr. King, Bishop of London." ^ 

This sudden appearance of the Royal Dane excited much 
curiosity among politicians, but it was purely a visit of 
friendship, and apparently the outcome of a whim. 
Hawking, hunting, bear-baiting, and tilting at the ring 
were the daily diversions of the royal party. Plays were 
acted every night, except Sunday night, when the King of 
Denmark, at his own expense, entertained the English Court 
in the gardens at Somerset House by a display of fireworks 
of his own devising. The King no doubt possessed a 
peculiar genius for pyrotechny, for the exhibition he pro- 
vided is described as the most beautiful ever seen in England. 
Throughout the visit, he easily maintained the reputation for 
carousing which he had established eight years before ; and 
James marked his approval of it by a liberal self-indulgence. 
On the I St of August the royal guest took leave of his 
sister, and James accompanied him to Woolwich. After 
inspecting the shipyard of Phineas Pett, a famous naval 
architect of the time, they proceeded to the " Ship Tavern," 
at Greenwich, where they dined. King Christian then 
boarded his ship, which had come round from Yarmouth, 
and sailed away for Denmark. 

Although during the entertainment of the Danish king, 
the festivities centring in Somerset House were of excep- 
tional magnificence, the Court there, without the tonic of a 
royal visit, was still a brilliant focus of gaiety. Between 
King Christian's first sojourn in London and the failure of 
the Queen's health came a sequence of social merry- 
makings broken only by the death of the Prince of Wales, 
and reaching here and there a theatrical climax in the 
reception of some man of mark. The courtyard echoed 
light-hearted laughter, the dance and the carousal ; the 
gardens, the sigh and the stolen kiss. Indeed, the Queen's 

^ Newsletter : Mr. Lorkin to Sir T. Puckering. 



^ 



74 SOMERSET HOUSE 

household was a " continued Maskarado where she and her 
ladies, like so many sea nymphs or Nereides, appeared in 
various dresses to the ravishment of the beholders, the King 
himself being not a little delighted with such fluent 
elegancies as made the nights more glorious than the 
day. But the latitude that their high-flying fancies, and 
more speaking actions gave to the lower world to judge and 
censure even the greatest with reproaches, shall not provoke 
me so much as to stain the innocent paper. ... As she 
(the Queen) had her favourites in one place the King had 
his in another. She loved the elder brother, the Earl of 
Pembroke, he the younger whom he made Earl of Mont- 
gomery and Knight of the Garter." ^ One contemporary was 
delighted by " her (the Queen's) seemely hayre downe 
trailing on her princely-bearing shoulders," while another 
considered the draperies aff^ected by the ladies of the Court 
"too light and courtezan-like for such great ones." The 
Countess of Dorset tells how " the ladies about the court 
have gotten such ill names that it is grown a scandalous 
place, and the Queen herself much fallen from her former 
greatness and reputation she had in the world." The 
extravagance in details of attire resulted in great part from 
the Queen's passion for the masque. It was associated in 
her case with an enormous expenditure on jewelry and 
" physical and odoriferous parcels " from the East. No 
taste, however costly, was subject to restraint. Gaiety, 
magnificence, luxury : these were the features of the Court 
of Anne. Small wonder that the indulgent King of 
Denmark enjoyed himself so well ! 

During the entertainment of the Count Palatine by King 
James in the latter half of 1612 the Queen, always on the 
alert for opportunities of social excitement, asked the King 
to present his guest to her, and James, confident in Anne's 

' Life and Reign of James I., by Arthur Wilson, Esq. 




Pkofo~\ 

National Portrait Gallery, 
To face pag-e 7i. 



Anne of Denmark. 



'lEmery Walker. 
Paul van Somer. 



UNDER THE STUARTS 75 

ability to do him credit on occasions of this kind, readily 
acquiesced. On the 21st of September the Count and 
his mistress spent " the whole day " at Somerset House. 
The impressions of the Count have not been recorded, but 
it may be surmised, in view of his tarrying " the whole 
day," that the Queen's hospitality reached its customary 
level. 

The death of Henry, Prince of Wales, at the age of 
eighteen, on the loth of November following, cast a cloud 
of gloom over the Court. As the Prince lay dying at St. 
James's Palace the King, " apprehending the worst, and not 
enduring to be so near the place, removed to Theobalds and 
kept his bed." On the 5th of November crowds thronged 
every avenue from the Palace to Somerset House. The 
people were commemorating the anniversary of Gunpowder 
Plot in grotesque and whimsical pageantry, and all night 
long as they stood in the streets their thoughts turned 
from the occasion of their merry-making to the Prince on 
his deathbed. Some wept and groaned as tidings of the 
increasing pangs were brought out from time to time and 
carried to the Queen, who, fearing infection, had withdrawn 
to her own apartments at Somerset House. Not long before 
the fatal announcement she had been told that the nostrum 
prescribed by Sir Walter Raleigh was effecting a wonderful 
cure. Accordingly the revulsion she experienced on hearing 
of the Prince's death was extreme. Rage mingled with the 
paroxysms of her grief and despair, and in her anguish she 
declared her son the victim of some murderous poisoner. 
For a full month she sat at Somerset House in a darkened 
room hung with black ; nor would she even in 16 14 attend 
a solemnity of which her second son, Charles, was to be the 
central figure, lest she should renew her grief in the memory 
of his more fondly-loved brother. 

By that time, however, she had so far recovered from her 
bereavement as to seize upon the occasion of the marriage 



76 SOMERSET HOUSE 

of Robert Ker, Lord Roxborough, with Jane, daughter of 
Patrick Lord Drummond, for great display and rejoicing. 
The marriage took place on the 3rd of February, 16 14, at 
Somerset House, the King being present at the shows and 
devices which followed it. The important feature of these 
shows and devices was a masque which the Queen had com- 
missioned specially for the occasion. It was written by the 
poet Daniel, and entitled Hymen s Triumph : A pastorall 
Tragicomedies presented at the Queens Court in the Strand 
at her majestie's magnificent entertainment of the King's 
most excellent majestie being at the nuptials of the Lord 
Roxborough. Describing this occasion a contemporary 
newsletter observes, " This day se'nnight the Lord Rox- 
burgh married Mrs. Jane Drummond at Somerset House, 
or Queen's Court, as it must now be called. The King 
tarried there till Saturday after dinner. The entertainment 
was great, and cost the Queen, they say, ^3,000. The 
pastorall by Samuel Daniel was solemn and dull, but 
perhaps better to be read than represented." ^ It is 
doubtful whether the Queen took part in the perform- 
ance, but over the whole function hers was the presiding 
genius. From other sources we learn that the play as then 
presented was a somewhat indelicate entertainment, and for 
several years afterwards ribald jests to which it had given 
occasion were current in the higher circles of society. This 
may, however, be accounted a characteristic of the time 
rather than of the play. That the performance was of a 
kind to which the Queen was passionately addicted is not so 
much a criticism upon her tastes as upon the conventions 
which regulated her life. 

The day after the marriage " the Lord Mayor and all the 

Aldermen were invited, and had rich gloves. They went 

thither in pomp, and were graciously used ; and, besides 

their great cheer and many healths, had a play. They 

^ John Chamberlain to Sir Dudley Carleton, February 10, 16 14. 



UNDER THE STUARTS 77 

presented the Bride with a fair cup and two hundred Jacobin 
pieces or double sovereigns in it."^ But the proceedings 
were not all distinguished by such good will, for " there fell 
out a brabble or quarrell 'twixt the Earl of Essex and 
young Hegden (son of Sir C. Hegden) with one hand ; 
which was to be decided presently, but that while the other 
went to fetch his sword the Earl was stayed upon the water 
by the Archbishop of Canterbury. The Queen took this as 
an affront to her feast ; so there is a great fault laid on 
Hegden, who is committed to the Fleet ; and if he find not 
better friends may pay dear for it. The day was dismal to 
him and his house ; for in the morning there was a decree 
in Chancery that the Sherriff and Justices of Norfolk should 
raise the country and thrust his father out of the possession 
of all he hath." 2 

Serious as the incident proved to the Hegden family, it 
did not disturb the even tenour of the Queen's plans. A 
fortnight later she feasted " all that gave presents to the 
Bride ; at least all the nobility, of which there was so great 
an assembly that the Lady Roxborough, the bride, was the 
lowest at the table. That night she likewise feasted all the 
gentlemen belonging to the Earls of Pembroke, Worcester, 
Southampton, and others, that had waited on the marriage, 
and gave them thanks and her hand to kiss ; for she would 
not be served by any of the King's servants." 3 Even a 
queen may not have weddings when she pleases ; but Anne 
was peculiarly favoured. A short time after the wedding 
just described she married another of her maids, a daughter 
of Lady Somerset, to Rodney, a man of good living in the 
West of England, and on the 25th of May, 161 5, Sir 
Robert Mansell was married at Denmark House to Mistress 
Roper, yet another of her maids, both occasions being dis- 

* John Chamberlain to Sir Dudley Carleton, February lo, 1614. 

^ Ibid. 

3 Ibid., February 17, 1614. 



78 SOMERSET HOUSE 

tinguished by a renewal of the gay conviviality which had 
marked the nuptials of Lord and Lady Roxborough. 

In connection with the Shrovetide festivities of 1617 the 
King spent some days at Denmark House, where, on the 
15th of March, he stood to view the procession to Windsor 
of two new Knights of the Garter, Lord Knollys and 
Viscount Fenton, with three hundred attendants each. 

Early in 161 8 the Queen's health began rapidly to fail. 
The dropsy which three years earlier had manifested itself, 
came on again with renewed virulence. " Her Majesty is 
not well. They say she languisheth, whether with melan- 
choly or sickness or what not ; yet she is still at Whitehall, 
being scant able to remove." Nevertheless she went over to 
Somerset House to escape the bustle of Shrovetide, that 
season being kept at James's Court with much enjoy- 
ment. In the midst of the revels at Whitehall James was 
attacked with gout in the knees, and became unmanageable 
by his attendants. Despite her own malady Anne made 
several journeys from Somerset House to comfort him. 

In the following December we read that " the Queen is 
better, and will spend Christmas at Denmark House," but 
soon afterwards she went to Hampton Court, and took 
to her bed. A newsletter tells that " the King has been to 
visit the Queen at Hampton Court ; danger is apprehended ; 
the courtiers already plot for the leases of her lands, the 
keeping of Somerset House, and the rest for implements 
and moveables as if they were to divide the spoil." ^ 
The illness did, indeed, terminate fatally. Anne died at 
Hampton Court on the 2nd of March, and a week later 
her body was carried at night by water to her favourite 
palace in the Strand, where it lay unburied till the 13 th 
of May. 

A newsletter of the 1 9th of April describes how " the 
Queen's funeral is like to be deferred for want of money to 

' John Chamberlain to Sir D. Carleton, January 2, 1619. 



UNDER THE STUARTS 79 

buy the blacks (for Sir Lionel Cranfield saith he will not 
take them upon credit) till the latter end of May. But 
whilst he is thus provident in forecasting the best way for 
the King's profit in buying the cloaths at best hand, some 
think he casts up ill account of that expense his majesty is 
like to be at all the interim in maintaining the Queen's 
Household which wants nothing of its full allowance till the 
Funeral be celebrated." ^ While the dead Queen lay at 
Somerset House the members of her household lived there 
in comfort, and spent their long leisure in settling her affairs 
among themselves. Nevertheless, before the funeral the 
ladies were weary of watching at the bier, although a 
greater concourse of them had assembled than ever during 
the Queen's life. 

The interment eventually took place in Henry VII. 's 
chapel at the Abbey on May 13, 16 19. The full order 
of the procession and ceremonial is given by Camden, but 
the following account is perhaps more graphic : — 

" It were to no purpose to make any long description of 
the Queen's funeral, which was but a drawling, tedious sight, 
more remarkable for number than for any other singularity, 
there being two hundred and eighty poor women besides an 
army of mean fellows that were servants to the Lords and 
others of the Train. And though the number of Lords and 
Ladies was very great, yet methought that altogether they 
made but a poor show, which perhaps was because they were 
apparelled all alike or that they came laggering all along 
even tired with the length of the way (Somerset House to 
Westminster) and weight of their cloaths, every lady having 
twelve yards of broad cloth about her, and the Countesses 
sixteen. The Countess of Arundel was chief mourner, being 
supported by the Duke of Lennox and the Marquis of 
Hamilton ; as likewise the rest had some to lean on, or 
else I see not how they had been able to hold out. The 

' Mr. Lorkin to Sir T. Puckering, April 19, 1619. 



80 SOMERSET HOUSE 

Prince came after the Archbishop of Canterbury who was 
to make the Sermon, and went before the corps that was 
drawn by Six horses. It was full six o'clock at night before 
all the solemnity was done at Church, where the herse is to 
continue till next term, the fairest and stateliest that I think 
was ever seen there." ^ 

The King was at Newmarket, too unwell to be present at 
the obsequies ; but he evidently had a speedy recovery, since 
four days afterwards he arrived at Greenwich, whither " all 
the Queen's coffers and cabinets were brought from Somerset 
House in four carts and delivered by inventory to his 
Majesty by Sir Edward Coke, the Queen's auditor." 
During the interval between the Queen's death and her 
burial at Westminster ^36,000 worth of her jewels had 
disappeared. Pierrot, her French attendant, and Anna, 
her Danish maid, were suspected of having abstracted them 
from the royal apartments at Somerset House, together with 
a vast sum of ready money which Anne was supposed to 
have hoarded ; but although these suspects were imprisoned, 
no trace of the missing valuables was discovered until 1621, 
when an accident disclosed them in a secret coffer, where the 
Queen herself had probably placed them. 

Allusion has been made to structural changes at Somerset 
House carried out by Inigo Jones under Anne's direction, 
but little evidence is forthcoming to show in what those 
changes consisted. According to a ground plan in the folio 
of drawings ascribed to John Thorpe, only the great quad- 
rangle existed in his day. The smaller quadrangle and the 
wing towards the east may, therefore, be regarded as 
belonging to the time of Anne. 

Strype says that " the Palace was greatly improved and 

beautified by this Queen, who added much to it in the way 

of new buildings, Inigo Jones being called in to furnish the 

designs. She also brought a supply of water to it by pipes 

' John Chamberlain to Sir D. Carleton, May 14., 16 19. 




Fhoto^ In [GO JONKS. [Emeni lj;,lkei: 

From tlie jiictiirc in ilie KaHonal Portrin'f Gnllery, copied, lyrohahly bij 
Heiu-tj Stone, from the oi-i<jiiKil hi/ V<ni(li/rl-. 
To face page 80. 



UNDER THE STUARTS 81 

laid on from Hyde Park ; " ^ and Samuel Daniel's dedi- 
cation of his pastoral (" Hymen's Triumph," produced on 
the 3rd of February, 16 14, as already described) clearly 
points to an extension of the building carried out before 
that time : — 

" Here what your sacred influence begat 

Most loved and most respected Majesty 
With humble heart and hand I consecrate 

Unto the glory of your memory 
As being a piece of that Solemnity 
Which your magnificence did celebrate 
In hallowing of those roofs you reared of late 
With fires and chearefull hospitality." 

Preserved among the State papers of James's reign are 
several summary accounts of moneys expended upon works 
and repairs at Somerset House " as well for new buildings as 
the alteration of the old." The first account relates to the 
month of March, 1607, the last to May, 1610 ; but 
although the sums provided amount to a total of several 
thousands of pounds, so meagre are the details vouchsafed 
that little exact information can be gleaned. It is evident, 
however, that the now buildings covered part of the garden 
formerly leased to John Gerrard. This garden was described 
in the original grant as extending on the north to the back 
side of the house standing in the high street called the 
Strand ; but subsequently it was enclosed on the north by 
the front of a wing of the palace, and the remaining space 
was laid out in the Italian style as an ornamental pleasaunce, 
by William Goodrowse, in 1609, probably after completion 
4 of the building operations in connection with the new 
wing. 

A good measure of Inigo Jones's success at Anne's Court 
may be traced to his former residence in Denmark and to 
the excellent faculty he displayed in designing costumes and 

' See Stow's Survey, Ed. 1720, Book IV,, p. 105. 

6 



82 SOMERSET HOUSE 

scenery for many plays presented both at Somerset House 
and Whitehall ; indeed, he was much favoured by Anne, 
who made use of his gifts for whatever purpose attracted 
her fancy. To her it was not of great moment 
whether he was engaged upon the permanent fabric of her 
palace or upon the flimsiest adornment for the stage or the 
table ; whatever he did contributed to her enjoyment, more 
perhaps by its novelty than by its gracefulness. At the time 
of her death Jones had just completed his design for the 
magnificent palace which James I. contemplated building at 
Whitehall, and of which the Banqueting House (now the 
Royal United Service Museum) was to form but an insignifi- 
cant part. Compared with such an undertaking the work at 
Somerset House was not important, and it is scarcely re- 
markable that all definite account of it should have been 
lost. 

During the later years of James's reign the palace was 
used only for occasional purposes. A number of Court 
dignitaries doubtless remained in residence there, but with 
the death of Anne it ceased to be a rendezvous for the 
notabilities and sociabilities of the time. In September, 1 6 1 9, 
it was conveyed to the Prince of Wales, " with divers small 
tenements in the Strand thereto belonging," and the Duke of 
Buckingham was appointed keeper. But the Prince still 
kept his Court at St. James's. During the Shrovetide 
festivities of 1620, however, he gave a grand ball and banquet 
at Somerset House to King James and the nobility, wagering 
the cost of it upon a game of tennis with Buckingham. The 
match was played in the court attached to the palace, and 
Charles was the loser. At the ball were " many mistresses 
and valentines, a custom lately grown into request ; and 
though abundance of sweetmeats was provided there was no 
supper," 

In April, 1622, the Emperor's ambassador was entertained 
in the Palace at the King's charge ; but interest was not 




fe ■-• 



UNDER THE STUARTS 83 

rekindled until, as a result of the escapade of Prince Charles 
and the Duke of Buckingham at the Spanish Court, 
elaborate preparations were set on foot for their return. 
The religious difficulties by which the alliance with 
Spain was eventually frustrated were reasonably met on 
the side of England, for in May, 1623, it had been 
decided that the marriage should secure " toleration for 
Catholics, abandonment of the Hollanders, permission for 
Spanish vessels to victual in English ports, and a jointure 
for the Infanta of ^8,000 for every ^100,000 of the 
^600,000 she brings. The Spanish Ambassador has sur- 
veyed the lodgings appointed for her at Denmark House 
and St. James's, and ordered a new chapel at each place, 
which Inigo Jones is to prepare with great costliness. The 
Savoy Chapel is to be given up to her household." ^ But 
with the departure of Charles and Buckingham from 
England, control of the relations with Spain passed out of 
the King's hands. The Government was left in a condition 
of anxiety as to what the upshot of the adventure would be. 
The importance of the marriage did not end in the union of 
Charles and the Infanta : it was hoped that it would be the 
means of recovering the Palatinate from the grasp of the 
Emperor, who held it against the right of the Elector 
Frederick, husband of James's daughter Elizabeth. 

Bonfires were lighted in London when Charles arrived in 
Madrid, and a fleet was equipped to fetch the Infanta to 
England. On the 8th of March, 1623, the Lord Cham- 
berlain was instructed " to make timely preparations for the 
reception of the Prince and the Infanta of Spain and to 
prepare houses to receive them, their trains and the 
grandees who will attend them. Those thought of are St. 
James's, Somerset House, and Durham House." On the 
14th of May an order was issued : " To clear St. James's 
and Denmark House from all who dwell or lodge there, 
' * Chamberlain to Carleton. 



84 SOMERSET HOUSE 

and thus hinder the preparing and keeping them sweet 
against the arrival of the Prince and the Infanta." Speaking 
of the Chapel which was in contemplation at Somerset 
House the King exclaimed, " We are building a temple 
to the devil." 

To what extent the alterations provoking this remark 
affected the fabric of the palace is not clear. No charge 
for new buildings can be discovered at this time, and if 
changes were actually made they consisted probably in the 
adaptation of an existing apartment to the usage of the 
Roman Church. At any rate when two years later the body 
of King James was laid in state at Somerset House it is 
certain that no chapel existed there. But the terms which 
the Spanish had exacted on behalf of the English Catholics 
were extremely distateful to James ; indeed, to quote his 
own words, he was " not a monsieur who can shift his 
religion as easily as he can shift his shirt when he cometh 
from tennis." 

The expedition to Madrid proved a failure, how complete 
may be judged from the fact that when in October, 1623, 
Charles and Buckingham returned to the King at Royston 
they urged immediate war against Spain. The direction 
which affairs were taking rendered more than ever hopeless 
the effort to restore the Elector to his Kingdom ; but not 
to be entirely baffled in this project overtures were com- 
menced at the French Court with the dual object of securing 
the co-operation of Louis XIII. by a marriage between 
Charles and Henrietta Maria, the French King's sister. 
Again, however, the question of religion proved an obstacle, 
and it was not until Charles and Buckingham insisted' upon 
an arrangement that James was induced to agree to articles 
which, after all, were to give the English Catholics the liberty 
they sought. James signed this treaty at Cambridge on the 
1 2th of December, 1624. But in a few weeks further dif- 
ferences arose between France and England on the subject of 



UNDER THE STUARTS 86 

the Palatinate ; and when in March, 1625, the King died at 
Theobalds, Charles was still unmarried and the temper of 
the French Government was unsympathetic if not definitely 
hostile. 

After the King's death his body " was forthwith embalmed 
with all due rytes apperteyning thereunto, and being seared 
and wrapped in lead was put into a sumptuous coffyn which 
was filled up with odours and spices within, and covered 
without with purple velvett, the handles nayles and all 
other iron-worke about it being richly hatched with 
gold. ■ ' 

" His Majestie King Charles, for the better despatch of 
things pertinent to the state and ceremony for so great a 
Prince, appointed certain commissioners (named) who, 
meeting in the Council Chamber at Whitehall upon Tuesday, 
the 29th of the sayd month of Marche, did order that upon 
Monday following the corps of his late Majestie should be 
brought from Theobalds to Denmarke House." ^ After 
describing the removal of the body from Theobalds in 
a carriage drawn by six goodly black horses the writer pro- 
ceeds : " The Lord Mayor and the Alderman stayd in 
Smythfeld and so the proceedinge going on by Holborne, by 
Chancery Lane, and so along to Denmarke-House. The 
Guard on horseback carried torches round about the body 
bareheaded and torches were in great plenty delivered to the 
footmen of all Noblemen and other persons of quality then 
present who bore them by their coaches. 

" About 8 of the clock that night the body arrived at 
Denmarke-house and was taken forth of the caryage and 
borne by the Gentlemen of the Privie Chamber into the 
lobby beyond the Privie-chamber there, which was prepared 
for that purpose, and a frame of boards lyke a large bedd so 
made that the coffin was set even with the worke, and then 
that was covered with a fyne hoUand sheet conteyning forty 
* MS. in the Lansdowne Collection, British Museum. 



86 SOMERSET HOUSE 

ells and a large pall of velvett blacke conteyning sixty-nine 
yards, which sheet was turned up about a yard and sewed to 
the velvett. Six goodly large and high silver candlesticks 
which King Charles had bought when he was in Spaine were 
placed about the Body and in them were put tapers of four 
foot in length of virgins' wax which burned all night. A 
canopie was provided to hange over this bed, the chamber 
was hanged with black velvett and a Majestic scutcheon 
over the King's head wrought upon cloth of gold. 
Ymediately a representation of his Majestie was layd upon 
the said pall over the Body, in his robes of estate and 
Royale diadem and so it contynewed untill the Funerall, all 
Kinge James 'his servants removinge from Whitehall to 
Denmarke House, and Kinge Charles his servants from St. 
James's to Whitehall, the service contynewed in all points as 
if his Majestie had byn lyveinge : And the roomes that were 
prepared at Denmark House with mourning were theis : 
the Bed-chamber was hanged with blacke velvett (as hath 
byn sayd) downe to the ground. The Privy-chamber was 
lykewise hanged with black velvett, and a fayre state and 
haute-pace of velvett, the floare covered with black cloths 
and a majestie scucheon on the State, the roome adorned 
with escucheons of tafaty ; the Presens was hung with black 
cloth downe to the ground and the floore covered with bayes 
adorned with scucheons of buckram with mettall, a cloth of 
estate of black velvett with a majestie scutcheon with 
chayres, cusheons, and foot-pace of the same ; the Guard 
Chamber was hanged with bayes downe to the ground, the 
roome strowed with rushes, and over the gate upon a square 
of black velvett was set the hatchment of His Majestie's 
armes done in a large manner in oyle, which afterwards the 
Office of Armes bought of the porters by the Gate whose fee 
it was and set it up for a memoriall in their Hall at Derby 
House. 

"The last of Aprill the Body was removed out of the 



UNDER THE STUARTS 87 

bed-chamber into the Privy Chamber at Evening, the 
Officers of Armes waytinge in their coates. On Thursday 
followinge it was removed into the Presence ; and on 
Fridaye night it should have been removed into the Chappell, 
but there being no Chappell in Denmarke House the Hall 
was appointed for that purpose and a hearse prepared with 
pillars, rayles, valence and fringes and other thereto belong- 
ing, where the Body should have been removed that night, 
but things not being ready it was done the next morninge 
verye earlye, the Officers of Armes attending till the time of 
proceedinge to Church." 

A minute and lengthy account of the procession is given, 
but the following extract from a newsletter deals with the 
event in sufficient detail : — 

" The great Funeral was on the yth of this month, the 
greatest indeed that was ever known in England, there 
being blacks distributed for above 9,000 persons, the 
herse likewise being the fairest and best fashioned that 
hath been seen, wherein Inigo Jones the Surveyor did his 
part. The King himself was chief mourner and followed 
on foot from Denmark House to Westminster Church 
where it was five o'clock stricken before all was entered 
and the Lord Keeper took up two hours in the Sermon, 
which they say we shall shortly have in print ; so that it 
was late before the offering and all other ceremonies were 
ended. In fine all was performed with great magnificence, 
but the order was very confused and disorderly. The 
whole charge is said to arise to above ^^ 50,000." ^ 

"The first mourners," says Sir Simonds D'Ewes in his 
Diary, "set out from Somerset House about 10 o'clock in 
the morning, and the last came not to Westminster till 
about four in the afternoon ; and no marvaile, seeing the 
number of the mourners was near upon eight thousand. 
The sermon ended not till about 7 of the clock at 
' Chamberlain to Carleton, May 14, 1625. 



88 SOMERSET HOUSE 

night. I was a spectator of the whole funeral pomp and 
in a most convenient place in the Strand near Somerset 
House, on the other side of the way." 

The pageant undoubtedly ranks among the most striking 
in the history of this country. 




rJlu^o^ 

Fruui ,11 

To face page 89. 



He.NRIKTTA JlAltlA. lEmen/ Watker 

'Id copij in tJie Xatiotuil Purfiiiif (JoUcrij of the origintd j^ialnting 
by \'(indijcl\ 



CHAPTER III {continued) 

SOMERSET HOUSE UNDER THE STUARTS 

(ii.) Charles I. 

NOTWITHSTANDING the strained relations exist- 
ing between France and England at James's death, 
Charles I. was married by proxy to Henrietta Maria on the 
nth of May, 1625. Viscount Kensington, to whom the 
arrangement of the nuptials had been entrusted, wrote from 
Paris that the Princess, then in her fifteenth year, was " the 
sweetest creature in all France." ^ This information can 
scarcely have been new to Charles, who spent some days 
at the French Court when on his way to Madrid in 1623, 
and would not miss a sight of the fascinating girl ; but his 
thoughts at the time were centred in the Spanish Infanta, 
and the childish charms of Henrietta Maria may well have 
escaped his memory. 

On the 23rd of June the King received his bride at 
Canterbury, whither she had been conducted by Buckingham. 
TravelUng thence, the Royal party went on board a State 
barge at Gravesend, where they reviewed the fleet. After- 

' February 26, 1625. The poet Waller in an early tribute to the 
young Queen's beauty wrote the verses — 

" Such a complexion and so radiant eyes 
Such lovely motion, and such sharp replies 5 
Beyond our reach and yet within our sight, 
What envious power has placed this glorious light ! " 



90 SOMERSET HOUSE 

wards they were rowed up to London attended by a 
magnificent entourage. The flotilla after passing London 
Bridge at about five o'clock in the afternoon, made direct 
for Somerset House, the Queen's dower-palace. ^ 

On the housetops, on barges, lighters, ships' hulls, and 
wherries was crowded a multitudinous throng of people 
anxious for a glimpse of the new Queen. Their enthu- 
siastic plaudits mingled with the roar of cannon shots. "On 
each side of the Thames were fifty good ships discharging 
their ordnance as their Majesties passed along by — as last 
of all the Tower did, such a peal as I believe she (the 
Queen) never before heard the like. The King and Queen 
were both in green suits. The barge windows, notwith- 
standing a vehement shower, were open and all the people 
shouting amain. She often put out her hand and shaked 
it unto them." ~ As the pageant neared its destination a 
ship's hull capsized for want of ballast, and over a hundred 
spectators were immersed in the Thames. The accident 
occasioned much alarm among the Royal party ; but 
happily no lives were lost, and the popular demonstration 
swelled in fervent enthusiasm. Throughout the night the 
bells of the City churches continued pealing, bonfires blazed 
in the streets, and despite the plague-stricken state of the 
capital the citizens gave themselves over to revelling. 

The temper of Henrietta Maria very closely resembled 
that of Anne, and the traditions established in the previous 
reign were soon restored. The lighter elements of Society 
again gathered round the Court in the Strand, and there 
made merry as they had done in the past. Masques and 
pastorals were acted at frequent intervals, and no oppor- 
tunity for entertainment was allowed to pass. In the 
December of 1625 we read that "the Court removes on 

' Memoires of the Life and Death of that matchless mirrour of magnani- 
mity and heroick virtues Henrietta Maria de Bourbon, 1671. 
" Dr. Meddus to Rev. Joseph Mead, June 28, 1625. 



UNDER THE STUARTS 91 

Tuesday next and keeps the end of Christmas at Whitehall. 
The Queen however intends to act her pastoral at Den- 
mark House." This pastoral, a French masque, was 
produced under the direction of Inigo Jones, and was 
played by Henrietta Maria and her demoiselles. Jones's 
designs for some of the dresses worn on this occasion and 
a drawing of one of the scenes employed are preserved at 
Chatsworth. The performance took place in the apartment 
at Somerset House known as the Great Chamber. 

In 1 63 1 the Queen acted at Whitehall in Ben Jonson's 
*' Chloridia," and on the King's birthday in 1633 she took 
part in the production of "The Shepherd's Paradise," 
a pastoral written by Walter Montague, her lord almoner. 
This piece is ridiculed by Sir John Suckling in his Session of 
the Poets as being quite unintelligible — 

"Wat Montague now stood forth for his trial 
And did not so much as suspect a denial ; 
But witty Apollo asked him first of all 
If he understood his own pastorall." 

The performance took place in the lower courtyard at 
Somerset House on the loth of January, and lasted seven 
or eight hours. " Her Majesty was pleased to act a part 
as well for her recreation as for the exercise of her English. 
Rehearsals had been in progress more than three months, 
and the occasion was evidently of unique social interest. 
Invitations were issued discriminately, and to ensure a 
gathering of persons of quality my Lord Chamberlain 
declared that " no chambermaid shall enter unless she will 
sit cross-legged on the top of a bulk. No great lady shall 
be kept out, though she have but mean apparel and a worse 
face, and no inferior lady or woman shall be let in but such 
as have extreme brave apparel and better faces." 2 

* Mr. Beaulieu to Sir T. Puckering, January lo, 1633. 
= Mr. Pory to Sir T. Puckering, January 3, 1633. 



92 SOMERSET HOUSE 

About the time of this representation William Prynne 
issued his notorious attack on women actors — Histrio- 
mastix^ the Players Scourge — and suffered for his temerity 
by the loss of his ears. It is still a moot point whether 
this work saw the light before or after the Queen's per- 
formance at Somerset House. According to Whitelocke, 
it was brought out six weeks before, and was not directed 
against the Queen and her pastoral at all. Prynne was 
falsely convicted because Laud and others who had been 
annoyed by his earlier writings directed against Arminianism 
informed the King that an allusion in the Histriomastix was 
aimed at the Queen. The offensive passage, after showing 
that St. Paul forbade women to speak in church, continued, 
*' and dares then any christian woman be so more than 
whorishly impudent, as to act, to speak publicly on a stage 
(perchance in men's apparel and cut hair) in the presence 
of sundry men and women " ? Whitelocke's view of the 
case is borne out by the postscript to '* A Divine Tragedie 
lately acted ; or a collection of sundry memorable examples 
of God's judgments upon Sabbath breakers &c. dated 
Anno 1636." The author of this pamphlet after referring 
to Prynne's punishment asserts that Histriomastix was 
written four years, licensed almost three, printed off fully 
a quarter of a year, and published six weeks before the 
Queen's pastoral, against which it was falsely voiced to 
have been principally written. 

But there is a further commentary on the subject in a 
contemporary letter (January 28, 1633) preserved among 
the Harleian MSS. at the British Museum. After men- 
tioning the issue of the book and the impending trial of 
Prynne, the writer concludes : "It is observable that his 
book was published the next day after the Queen's pastoral! 
at Somerset House." This testimony has a good presump- 
tive title to credence. It is well known that the Queen was 
a great patron of the stage, and that as such she attracted 



UNDER THE STUARTS 93 

contemporary criticism. In view of these facts and of 
Prynne's subsequent confessions, there can hardly be any 
doubt that the book was, to some extent, directed against 
her. It may well have been prepared during the rehearsals 
of the play at Somerset House and its publication, timed to 
take place on the day following the performance, when the 
subject would naturally bulk largest in the popular mind. 
But even if it could be established that the book was 
anterior to this particular play, the conclusion that it was 
aimed at the Queen would not be affected ; for, as we have 
seen, Henrietta Maria took part in a masque as early as 
1625. In any case Pyrnne lost his ears, and the Queen 
was so little affected by his attack that when the members 
of the Inns of Court presented a play in protest against the 
Histriomastix^ she danced with some of the masquers. 
That her own life at this time was pure we have the testi- 
mony of her confessor ; but she was frivolous and without 
any appreciation of real merit, and frequently used her 
influence with Charles to obtain favours for courtiers 
unworthy of consideration. 

In the manuscript of Sir Henry Herbert, at this time 
licenser of plays, we read that " On Monday night the 6th 
of January 1634 and the Twelfth Night, was presented at 
Denmark House before the King and Queene, Fletcher's 
pastorall called 'the Faithful Shepheardesse,' in the clothes 
the Queene had given Taylor (a famous actor) the year 
before of her own pastorall. The scenes were fitted to the 
pastorall and made by Mr. Inigo Jones, in the Great 
Chamber." And as late as 1636 the Queen herself 
appeared on the same stage in Thomas Heywood's play, 
"Love's Mistress; or the Queen's Masque." This play 
was three times presented before both their Majesties within 
the space of eight days in the presence of several foreign 
ambassadors. " When the play came the second time to 
the Royal view," the author tells us, " her gracious Majesty 



94 SOMERSET HOUSE 

then entertaining his highness at Denmark House upon his 
birthday, Mr. Inigo Jones gave an extraordinary lustre to 
every act, nay almost to every scene, by his excellent 
inventions ; upon every occasion changing the stage to the 
admiration of all the spectators." The evening's enter- 
tainment did not usually end with the masque ; other less 
innocent gaieties followed, as we learn from a newsletter 
describing: festivities at Denmark House about this time : 
" 1 had almost forgotten to tell that on the dicing night 
the King carried away in James Palmer's hat ^1,850. 
The Queen was his half and brought him that luck ; 
she shared presently ^900." ^ Which is a pretty sidelight 
on the life of Henrietta Maria's Court. 

In February of 1626 Denmark House, with twenty-four 
tenements adjoining, had been granted to Queen Henrietta 
Maria for her life, with a stipulation that " the king will 
grant to her all the ornaments and household stuff therein 
remaining so soon as an inventory thereof can be made." ^ 
Evidently on the young Queen's arrival the property was 
again in need of amelioration, for in June, 1626, we find a 
warrant to pay Richard Browne, underkeeper of Denmark 
House, "such money as shall appear by bills subscribed by 
Viscount Purbeck, Keeper of that House, to be due for 
wages and works to be done in the gardens there." 

Not long afterwards other improvements were effected in 
the neighbourhood : " For divers years of late certain fish- 
mongers have erected and set up fishstalls in the middle of 
the street in the Strand, almost over against Denmark 
House, all of which were broken down by speciall com- 
mission this month of May, 1630, lest in short space they 
might grow from stalles to sheddes and then to dwelling 
houses, as the like was in former time in Old Fish Street 
and in St. Nicholas Shambles and in other places." 

^ Mr. Garrard to Earl Strafford, January 9, 1633. 
2 See Rymer's Feedera, torn, xviii. 



UNDER THE STUARTS 95 

" There are three royal residences in London," says 
another writer of the time ; *' the principal and usual abode 
of the King, the Queen, and the whole Court is called 
Whitehall ; the second is called St. James's ; the third bears 
the name of Somerset House, which belongs particularly to 
the Queen, and is the finest palace in all England." 

A newsletter of the i6th of March, 1627, describes how 
"the Queen rowed to Blackwall (from Somerset House) 
and dined on board the Earl of Warwick's fair ship called 
' the Neptune' It pleased the Queen then to pass over to her 
Greenwich Palace. From there she rode on horseback to 
her palace of Somerset House, the Earl of Warwick and 
forty or fifty gentlemen riding before her Majesty with their 
heads uncovered, — all but her four priests, who wore their 
black caps. The Queen herself was masked as were her 
ladies ; they all wore little black beaver riding-hats, but 
her Majesty was distinguished from her attendants by the 
addition of a fair white feather in her hat." 

Of another incident in the Queen's life at Somerset 
House Marshal Bassompierre, the French ambassador, tells 
in his journal for the 9th of November, 1627. "I came," 
he writes, " in the morning to Somerset House to meet the 
Queen, who had arrived there to see the Lord Mayor go on 
the Thames with a magnificent display of boats. There the 
Queen dined, and afterwards got into her coach and placed 
me at the same door with her.i The Duke of Buckingham, 
by the Queen's command, likewise got into her coach, and 
we went into a street called Shipside to see the ceremony 
which is the greatest made for the reception of any officer in 
the world. While waiting for the lord Mayor to pass the 
Queen played at primero with the Duke, the Earl of Dorset 

^ The royal carriages of this period were huge and gaudily decorated. 
They accommodated eight inside passengers, two of whom were perched 
in niches, called boots, at each door, places usually reserved for some 
favoured guest of the King or Queen. 



9& SOMERSET HOUSE 

and me." Nothing could be more suggestive of the im- 
portance of the Lord Mayor of those days than this spectacle 
of the Queen of the realm patiently awaiting his coming in 
Cheapside. The Parisians of our own day do not hold him 
in greater exaltation. 

We catch a glimpse of the Queen's character and that of 
her Court in one of those trivial events which persist when 
many of importance escape record. A letter of the i8th of 
June, 1627, observes: "Little Geffrey, the Queen's dwarf, 
fell last day out of the window at Denmark House ; the 
Queen took it so heavily that she attired not herself that 
day." Here at once we experience the thrill of vitality, 
touch the authentic atmosphere of Henrietta Maria's life. 
The fantastic taste which gratified itself in the fondling of 
quaint and often repulsive human freaks, monkeys, and 
dwarfs proved attractive to the genius of Velasquez, as is 
shown by his representations of scenes in the Spanish Court 
of this time ; and Henrietta Maria, whom Charles did 
marry, was evidently bred amid the same picturesque 
vanities as the Infanta whom he did not. There is, how- 
ever, a special interest attaching to the dwarf. Little Geffrey, 
here referred to. Readers of Scott's Peveril of the Peak 
will recollect that one of the most fascinating figures in 
that romance is the dwarf, Geffrey Hudson, undoubtedly 
identified with " Little Geffrey," who in the summer of 
1627 cast a gloom over the Queen's Court by mischievously 
falling out of a window at Denmark House. At this time 
the dwarf could not have been more than ten years old, and 
had only been a few months in the Queen's service. He 
was not eighteen inches in height, but is described by Fuller 
as being " without any deformity, wholly proportionable." 
His introduction to the Court took place at a dinner given 
by the Duke of Buckingham at his seat in Rutland. Little 
Geffrey was brought to the table concealed in a pie, out of 
which he crept to the amazement and delight of the com- 



UNDER THE STUARTS 97 

pany. The Queen was greatly amused by his sprightliness, 
and from that day he joined her retinue. So began the 
career of adventure which led him throughout Europe. His 
home, however, remained at Henrietta Maria's Court, and his 
association with Somerset House did not end till the time 
of the Popish Plot, when he was suspected of complicity 
and imprisoned. I The Queen possessed other dwarfs 
scarcely less remarkable than Hudson. Richard Gibson, 
the famous miniature painter, and his wife had a stature of 
only 3 feet 9 inches each, and both were for many years 
attached to the Court at Denmark House. They were 
married there in presence of both King and Queen, the 
King giving the bride away. It is not difficult to imagine 
the interest which would be aroused by such an event among 
the curious, gossiping satellites of the Court. Indeed, there 
is abundant evidence that the Queen's drawing-room was 
most frequented by the thoughtless and the gay : poets sang 
her praises, and wits and gallants vied with each other in 
the empty tribute of their attentions. Of the poets, 
Edmund Waller figures prominently, and concerning him 
Aubrey relates the following trivial yet amusing incident : 
" He was but a tender, weak body, but was always very 

temperate made him damnably drunk at Somerset House, 

where at the water stairs he fell down and had a cruel fall ; 
'twas pity to use such a sweet swan so inhumanly." The 
royal apartments were open daily at certain hours to persons 
of note or quality, and many availed themselves of the 
opportunity to make the Court a permanent rendezvous. 
This arrangement was not without advantage to the Queen, 
who was thus enabled to choose what friends she pleased, 
and to be sure of missing no particular of the scandalous 
affairs of her time. The King himself was not infrequently 

' A portrait of Geffrey Hudson, by Mytens, is to be seen at Hampton 
Court. Another, by Vandyck, is preserved at Petworth. 

7 



98 SOMERSET HOUSE 

present, and occasionally his visits were prolonged through 
several days. When Prince William of Nassau, son of the 
Prince of Orange, came to England to woo the Princess 
Mary, Charles's eldest daughter, he was received at Somerset 
House, and both King and Queen remained in residence 
there to entertain him. This was in 1641, not long before 
the outbreak of the Civil War, and it may well have been 
Charles's last appearance at the Palace. 

The earlier years of the Queen's life in England were 
rendered unhappy by differences which arose between her 
and the King on the subject of their marriage treaty. Un- 
questionably Charles was fond of her, and there is reason to 
believe that she would at once have reciprocated his affection 
except for the machinations of Buckingham. Unprincipled, 
but possessed of personal charm, this nobleman was mainly 
responsible for many acts of folly committed by both King 
and Queen, It had been agreed in the articles of marriage 
that Henrietta should choose servants of her own nation 
and faith, and should in particular have a certain number of 
priests as household chaplains, and a Bishop to exercise 
jurisdiction in matters pertaining to the Roman Church. 
The full household numbered 450, and cost the country 
^^240 a day. Buckingham evidently determined to make 
these foreigners odious in the eyes of the King, and, at the 
same time, to ingratiate himself with the Queen by secretly 
abetting their obnoxious behaviour. When the French 
Government attempted to employ against the Huguenots 
of Rochelle some English ships sent to Dieppe ostensibly to 
oppose the Genoese, it was with the connivance of Bucking- 
ham, who thus sought to please the Queen. When, on the 
other hand, the King decided to expel the Queen's French 
household from the country, it was likewise at the instigation 
of Buckingham, who, having quarrelled with Richelieu, now 
desired nothing better than a war with France. And for 
some time this opportunist played his cards so skilfully that 



UNDER THE STUARTS 99 

neither King nor Queen doubted his honesty of purpose. 
Thus, in connection with the Rochelle incident, he repre- 
sented to Charles that the staff at Somerset House was 
largely to blame for the conduct of the French Government, 
to which, he alleged, they " spread reports and did other ill 
offices." No doubt the Queen's French attendants and 
advisers often comported themselves with irritating insolence, 
and never lost an opportunity to disparage English institu- 
tions. But Henrietta was herself a zealous champion of 
France, and it is not surprising that, under the evil influence 
of Buckingham, she should have failed to exercise the 
discretion which circumstances required of her. 

The discord reached its climax in 1626, little more than 
a year after the Queen's arrival in the country. Though 
repeatedly warned to limit their ministrations to the members 
of the French colony in London, the priests of Her Majesty's 
household continued a vexatious campaign against the Estab- 
lished Church, gaining many converts, and attracting to the 
Queen's oratory at Somerset House a throng of worshippers 
so large that they petitioned the King to build them a new 
chapel for their better accommodation. Charles's response 
is a sufficient proof of how deeply he had been offended. 
He thought that " if the Queen's closet, where they now say 
mass, were not large enough, they might have it in the 
great chamber ; and if the great chamber were not wide 
enough, they might use the garden ; and if the garden 
would not serve their turn, then the park was the fittest 
place." The immediate cause of the King's active resent- 
ment was an outrageous penance imposed upon the Queen 
by her father confessor. One rainy day, at the bidding of 
this unnatural cleric, who rode by her side in his coach, she 
walked to Tyburn, where so many Catholics had been 
executed, and uttered over their common grave an inter- 
cession for the souls of the martyrs, i Buckingham conveyed 
* Memoires of Henrietta Maria, 1671. 



100 SOMERSET HOUSE 

to the King an exaggerated account of this bizarre procession, 
and Charles forthwith resolved to break the marriage treaty 
by dismissing the army of servants and priests whose employ- 
ment it had been specially framed to secure. A letter was 
sent to the French King announcing the step which it was 
proposed to take, and justifying it by a recital of the cir- 
cumstances. Then, "on Monday (June 26, 1626), about 
3 in the afternoon, the King, passing into the Queen's side 
(of Whitehall) and finding some Frenchmen, her servants, 
unreverently curveting and dancing in her presence, took 
her by the hand and led her into his lodgings, locking the 
door after him, and shutting out all save only the Queen : 
presently upon this, my lord Conway called forth the French 
bishop and others of that clergy into St. James's Park, where 
he told them the King's pleasure was all her Majesty's 
servants of that nation, men and women, young and old, 
should depart the Kingdom. . . . The King's message 
being thus delivered by my lord Conway, his lordship, 
accompanied with Mr. Treasurer and Mr. Comptroller, 
went into the Queen's lodgings and told all the French like- 
wise that were there that his Majesty's pleasure was they 
should all depart thence to Somerset House and remain there 
till they knew his Majesty's pleasure. The women howled 
and lamented as if they had been going to execution, but all 
in vain : for the Yeomen of the Guard thrust them and all 
their country folks out of the Queen's lodgings and locked 
the doors after them. It is said also that the Queen, when 
she understood the design, grew very impatient, and broke 
the glass windows with her fist. But since, I hear, her rage 
is appeased, and the King and she, since they went together 
to Nonsuch, have been very jocund together." ^ 

Next day Lord Conway visited Somerset House and told 
the angry crowd they must leave for France. They refused 
to obey, however, and clung to England as their right. 
* Mr. Pory to the Rev. Joseph Mead, Saturday, July i, 1626. 



UNDER THE STUARTS 101 

About the 12th of July the King went to Somerset 
House in person, attended by Buckingham, Holland, and 
Carlisle, and addressed the French household in a set 
speech. 

" Gentlemen and ladies," he said, " I am driven to that 
extremity as I am personally come to acquaint you that I 
very earnestly desire your return into France. True it is 
the deportment of some amongst you hath been very 
inoffensive to me ; but others again have so dallied with 
my patience and so highly affronted me as I cannot, I will 
not any longer endure it." 

Undaunted by Charles's firmness, the young Bishop of 
Mende, who had been the greatest offender, retorted defiance. 
" Sir," he exclaimed, " if this accrimination be levelled 
against me, let me, I beseech you, know my fault while I 
am here to make my defence " ; and Madame St. George, 
the Queen's favourite, thus pertly addressed him : " Sir, I 
make no question but the Queen will give me a fair testi- 
monial to your Majesty." ^ But Charles turned from them 
with the remark : " I name none, but I tell you my resolu- 
tion." As soon as the Queen heard of the proceedings she 
fell into a high passion and upbraided His Majesty with the 
utmost disaffection for her. He tried all the most kind 
and tender ways to pacify her ; but when these gentler 
methods had failed '* he roundly bid her be satisfied, for it 
must be so." Under various pretexts the servants and 
priests continued in occupation of Somerset House, possess- 
ing themselves of the Queen's clothes, jewels, and other 
belongings, and, it is said, leaving her without even a change 
of linen. With difficulty they were persuaded to surrender 
an old satin gown for Her Majesty's immediate use. They 
asserted that she was immensely in debt to them for purchases 
which she afterwards confessed to the King were entirely 
fictitious. They claimed ^4,000 for necessaries supplied to 

' Memoires of Henrietta Maria, 1671. 



102 SOMERSET HOUSE 

the Queen, ;^8oo for moneys owing to an apothecary, and 
j^ 1,500 for holy water used by the bishop. 

The dispute dragged on throughout July. The King 
had already distributed among the servants assembled at 
Somerset House ^11,000 in money and ^^20,000 in jewels, 
in recognition of services rendered, and now wearied of their 
impudence. A proclamation was read at the Court gate 
at Whitehall, ordering that all French people, of what con- 
dition, state, quality or dignity soever, should depart the 
Court to Denmark House, there to remain till order should 
be taken for transporting them into France ; and after 
explaining to the Queen that her whole household must 
be cashiered, Charles wrote as follows to Buckingham : — 

"Steenie, — I have received your letter by Dick Graeme. 
This is my answer. I command you to send all the 
French away to-morrow out of the Town — if you can by 
fair means, but stick not long in disputing : otherwise force 
them away, driving them away like so many wild beasts, 
until you have shipped them, and so the devil go with them. 
Let me hear of no answer but of the performance of my 
command. 

" So I rest your faithful, constant loving friend, 
"Caking, on the 7th of August 1626. C. R." 

The tone of this message and the continued persistence 
of the French at Somerset House suggest that Buckingham 
had been temporising again. But although no reply to the 
intimation of the impending banishment had as yet been 
received from France, Charles was resolved that the treaty 
should be broken, and Buckingham at length gave way. On 
the 8 th August a numerous collection of coaches, carts, and 
barges was in waiting at Somerset House ; but the French 
contumaciously refused to go. News of this being sent to 
the King he dispatched the Captain of the Guard with a 



UNDER THE STUARTS 103 

posse of yeomen to execute his will. These reached London 
next morning, and the heralds and trumpeters having pro- 
claimed his Majesty's pleasure at the gates of the palace, the 
yeomen stepped forward to carry out the order that if the 
French continued refractory they should all be thrust out, 
"head and shoulders." This extremity was not resorted to, 
the mere appearance of the Beefeaters proving a sufficient 
inducement for the last hysterical recalcitrant to depart. 
" The time being come my lord Conway, Mr. Treasurer, 
and Mr, Comptroller went to see them perform their pro- 
mise, and brought the bishop out of the gate to the boot of 
his coach ; where he, making a stand, told them he had one 
favour more to crave at their hands, namely, that they 
would permit him to stay till the midnight tide, to the end 
that he might go away private and cool, which was not 
denied him." ^ 

A great mob had gathered in the vicinity to enjoy the 
proceedings ; and when the beautiful Madame St. George 
appeared, gesticulating wildly and pouring forth a torrent 
of eloquence on the atrocity of tearing her from the Queen, 
a bystander threw a large stone and knocked off her cap. 
An English noble who stood near instantly avenged the 
insult by running the man through the body with his sword. 
In forty coaches, after four days' travelling, the dismal com- 
pany reached Dover, and sailed thence for the land of their 
birth with all the pangs of an involuntary exile. 

The King now sent Lord Carleton to the French Court 
to explain his action and to prevent its being misconstrued, 
but Louis denied audience to the ambassador, and, to give 
point to his resentment, seized 120 English ships which 
were then in the French ports. Charles thereupon formally 
declared war against France, and Buckingham soon after- 
wards led his ill-organised and futile expedition against the 
He de Rhe. 

^ Mr. Pory to Rev. Joseph Mead, August ii, 1626. 



104 SOMERSET HOUSE 

The banishment of the French servants and the absence 
of Buckingham produced an Immediate Improvement In the 
relations between Charles and his Queen. But on Bucking- 
ham's return In October, 1627, marital strife was stirred up 
anew. Henrietta resumed her aggressive policy In religious 
matters, and her bickerings with the King grew more 
frequent and more embittered. Matters quickly came to 
such a pass that the French Ambassador, the Marshal 
Bassompierre, intervened as mediator. At first his efforts 
seem to have been successful. Early In November, 1627, 
he writes, in a letter to his Government : " You will now 
find that the satisfaction Is complete and that the Queen, 
his Majesty's sister, rests infinitely obliged with what I have 
done for her ; and deeming herself content and happy 
she lives now with the King In perfect amity. First she 
has re-established — and this for her conscience — a bishop 
and ten priests (Capuchins), a confessor and his coadjutor, 
and ten musicians for her Chapel ; that at St. James's Is to 
be finished, and another Is to be built for her at Somerset 
House at the expense of the King her husband. In attend- 
ance on her person she will have, of her own nation^ two 
ladles of the bedchamber, three bedchamber women, one 
lingere^ and a clear-starcher. In regard to her health, two 
physicians, an apothecary, and a surgeon. For her house, 
a grand chamberlain, a squire as secretary, a gentleman usher 
of the privy chamber, one of the chamber of presence, a 
valet of the privy chamber, and a baxter-groom (/.^., a 
baker). All her officers of the mouth and the goblet are 
to be French." 

Bassompierre may well be excused for believing that he 
had secured the contentment of the Queen, having within 
so short a time of the expulsion of her French servants and 
priests obtained others of the same nationality In their 
places. But Buckingham was still alive, and Henrietta was 
not satisfied. Though her present establishment appears 



UNDER THE STUARTS 105 

large enough and sufficiently French in character, it is 
insignificant when compared with that which preceded it. 
Then, as we have seen, the household numbered 450 
French subjects ; now Henrietta sighed for the lost 400. 
She began to pick quarrels with the King and to 
make herself generally disagreeable. The disillusionised 
Bassompierre, out of patience at seeing her play the 
vixen after so much consideration had been shown to her, 
spoke his views on the subject of her behaviour with a com- 
mendable frankness, and noted the occasion in his diary : 
"November 12, 1627. — Came to the Queen's (Somer- 
set House), where the King came, who fell out with one 
another, and I afterwards with the Queen on this account. 
I told her plainly that I should next day take leave of 
King Charles and return to France, leaving the business 
unfinished, and should tell his Majesty (Louis XIII.), her 
brother, and the Queen, her mother, that it was all her 
fault." This determined step, coming at a time when 
Buckingham was nearing his doom, seems to have had the 
desired effect. It secured the Queen nearly eighteen years 
of conjugal happiness, and for the King the reward of his 
own passionate devotion. 

But though at last content in her married life Henrietta 
Maria never abated her zeal in promoting the cause of Roman 
Catholicism. The first Sunday after her arrival in London 
was distinguished by an open attendance at mass : " Last 
Sunday," ran the contemporary newsletter, " the Queen and 
hers (the King inhibiting English ladies to attend her 
Majesty) were at High Mass (it being their St. Peter's day) 
at Denmark House, with the Duke of Chevreuse and his 
Duchess, when the Queen's lord Chamberlain was made 
Knight of the French order of the Holy Ghost, and was 
afterwards there feasted." ^ We have already seen how 
trouble arose through the intemperate self-assertion of the 
' Dr. Medras to Rev. Joseph Mead, June, 1625. 



106 SOMERSET HOUSE 

Bishop of Mende and his subordinate priests ; and though 
the progress of Romanism was checked by the banishment 
of those intriguing ecclesiastics, it was soon resumed under 
the tireless patronage of the Queen. By the year 1629 
matters had become so aggravated and so distasteful to the 
bulk of the people that the King was compelled to forbid 
all but members of the Queen's household to attend mass 
in her chapel. 

It was not long, however, before she wheedled her too 

indulgent husband into permitting an increase of her 

ecclesiastical establishment to "29 priests, and 15 seculars, 

besides a bishop, a young man under 30 years old." These 

additional members came over from France in February, 

1630, and were received in audience by both King and 

Queen. Lodgings were assigned them with all the friars 

in a house which the Queen had bought quite close to her 

palace of Somerset House which her truly Christian and 

royal liberality had furnished with everything necessary for 

their condition, adding a garden to it and enclosing it with 

a strong wall." ^ They received orders to make all 

necessary preparations for public service in the chapel, and 

for preaching on the Sunday following, which was the 

third Sunday in Lent. The news of the coming service 

quickly spread over the city and drew an innumerable 

multitude of people of both sexes and faiths to the chapel. 

The King in Council had previously forbidden all English 

Catholics to be present, and soon many were imprisoned 

for their disobedience. 

The newcomers were by no means careful to test the 
temper of the Protestant Parliament : they proceeded at 
once to extremes. A newsletter of the 13th of March, 1630, 

^ The building here referred to was adjacent to the palace on the west, 
between it and Somerset Yard. The garden ran down to the river. 
Both are clearly shown in the picture by KnyfF. (1720), p. 170, but 
were doubtless much altered in the renovation of 1660-65. 



UNDER THE STUARTS 107 

tells that " on Sunday was sennight one of the Queen's 
Capuchins preached before Her Majesty at Somerset House 
concerning vows and the observations of Lent ; and that 
whosoever did eat flesh in that holy time without license 
or dispensation was ipso facto damned." ^ For a time, 
however, the excitement of their activities was confined 
to a circumscribed area, the King being determined to 
execute his obligations to the country. Indeed " my lord 
of Dorchester dehvered to the Lords sitting at the Council 
board that it was his Majesty's pleasure none of his subjects 
should go any more to mass in the Queen's chapel ; which 
that it may be effectually performed his Majesty hath 
appointed two of the Queen's gentlemen ushers, Sir John 
Tonstall to stand at the gate and Mr. Steward at the chapel 
door to divert all saving Frenchmen. My lord of Dorset, 
her Majesty's lord chamberlain, highly approving this 
gracious message from his Majesty, said he would act his 
part therein to the full ; and if any should grow stubborn 
would have them turned out per force and exposed to the 
Law." 2 But Charles was unreasonably feeble in opposing 
those whom he trusted, and the Queen especially was 
stinted nothing to gratify her desires. 

Up to this time the building used for divine service at 
Somerset House is described by Father Cyprien de Gamache 
as " a spacious room fitted up in the form of a chapel." 3 
It was a makeshift, and not at all to the taste of the 
Queen. From the first she had contemplated erecting a 
church in keeping with her extravagant ideas, and at length, 
having by her " zeal and address " won the consent of the 
King, she set her scheme on foot. 

" On the day of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, which 

' Rev. Joseph Mead to Sir Martin Stuteville. 
^ Ibid., March 20, 1630. 

3 Memoirs of Pere Cyprien de Gamache (for complete translation see 
Court and Times of Charles /.). 



108 SOMERSET HOUSE 

*' was the 14th of September," says Gamache, " the piety of 
the Queen planted the cross upon the mount of Somerset 
House, the first place from which heresy had hurled it at 
the time when the religion was changed in this unhappy 
Kingdom. A plot of ground on which the chapel was to 
stand was very tastefully fitted up in the form of a Church ; 
rich tapestry served for walls ; the most costly stuffs for 
roof ; the floor was strewed with flowers which diffused an 
agreeable odour. At the further end was seen an altar 
garnished with magnificent ornaments, with large chande- 
liers of silver gilt, and with a great number of vases, the 
costliness and workmanship of which rendered them worthy 
of being compared with those of Solomon's Temple. The 
Queen knelt upon a cushion of crimson velvet under her 
dais, attended by the Marquis Fontenay Mareuil, ambassador 
of the King of France, and by a great number of other 
Catholic gentlemen and ladies. M. du Peron, her grand 
almoner, performed high mass with solemnity and granted 
some indulgences, while harmonious music ravished the 
heart. The concourse of people was so great that it seemed 
as if all the inhabitants of London had consented to attend 
this noble ceremony. ^ Mass being finished, Her Majesty 
was conducted by the ambassador to the place where she 
was to lay the first stone which she touched with her royal 
hand ; and then laying hold of a trowel, the handle of which 
was covered with fine fringed velvet, respectfully presented 
to her by the intendant of her buildings, and taking mortar 
from a large, glittering basin of silver gilt, with a grace 
which imparted devotion to the people, she threw it at 
three times upon the stone in which was enchased a large 
silver plate with this inscription : — 

" Henri ca Maria, Henri ci HI I Gall or um regis filia, 
Caroli I Magn<£ Britanni<£ Regis conjux, Ludovici XIH in 
Gallia regnantis, et Philippi IIII Hispaniarum Regis soror, 

^ A contemporary newsletter says there were " 2,000 people at least." 



UNDER THE STUARTS 109 

Templum hoc singulare pietatis monumentum ad Dei optimi 
maximi gloriam skat Religionis Catholics exercitum, R. R. 
P. P. Capucinorum provinci^ Parisiensis {quos in suum 
peculiare obsequium vocare dignata est) ad usum est Catholi- 
corum commodum sub felicibus Beatissim^ virginis maria 
auspiciis evexit, et primum ejus lapidem Jacohi Peronii 
magni sui Eleemosinarii benedictione consecratum^ sua manu 
Regia posuit^ die 24 Septembris anno 1632." 

The chapel was built over a site hitherto occupied by 
" the Tennys Courte and tenementes adjoining to Denmarke 
House." These were converted into " a chappell, vestry, 
and other roomes for the use and service of our dearest 
Consort the Queene and a brickwall made to enclose the 
same with a passage and a staire from the privy lodgings 
into a clozett." Among the Pipe Office declared accounts 
of this period are found particulars of the various payments 
made in connection with the construction and furnishing of 
the chapel. At the outset allowance is made of the " money 
yssued and payd within the tyme of this accompte to sondry 
masons, carpenters, bricklayers, plumbers, and other 
artificers, woorkmen and laborers ymployed in taking 
downe the roofe and walles of the Tennys Courte in the 
Basecourt at Somersett Howse alias Denmarke Howse, 
new building a chappell of brickes and stone there, ciiij 
foote longe, xxxvj, foote broode, and Ij foote high to 
the tope of the roofe with twoe outlettes for staires and 
little chapelles, xij foote one way and xxxvj foote the 
other way, with a vestry howse and a clozett upon pillars 
of Portland stone, the walles of bricke and the whole 
chappell strongly vaulted underneath with peeres of sixe 
brickes thicke, the walles up to the crowne of the vaulte 
being on the east side iiij foote thicke and on the west side 
five foote, the rest of the walles above of fower brickes, iij 
brickes di and two brickes di in thickness, and the particion 
walles there at one bricke di in thickness, the walles fynished 



110 SOMERSET HOUSE 

with fynishing morter, the wyndowes and mouldings of 
Portland stone carved. The coynes facid and doores all 
of Purbecke stone ; the ceilinges of the chappell and clozett 
wyndowes richly carved, painted and guilded ; the floare 
paved with blacke and white marble, and the roofe covered 
with lead, ffor performance whereof divers Provicions and 
Empcions have beene made and provided. The particulars 
whereof with their quantities rates and prices, as alsoe the 
charges of carriadge, both by land and water, wages of 
artificers, woorkmen and others ymploied therein, taske- 
woorke and other charges are expressed in manner and forme 
following." Amongst the several items we find : — 

" A trowel with a velvet handle for the Queen Majesty 
to lay the first stone, 4/-." 

" Rushes to strew the chappell 2/6." 

There are also accounts in connection with eight great 
windows of Portland stone with their mouldings and cor- 
nices, and ten pillars and pilasters of the like stone with 
their bases and capitals ; of payments to Hugh Justice, his 
Majesty's Sergeant Plumber, for covering the roof of the 
new chappell with sheet lead, and to John Hooke for turning 
nine great balls. Reference is also made to the ceiling of 
the Music Room ; to the room over the stairs going up to 
the Queen's closet ; to work done to the floors and roofs of 
the Friars' lodgings ; to the making of seven altars ; and to 
a new brick wall to enclose the Friars' lodgings and a place 
for a garden. 

Little information exists as to the design of the exterior 
of this chapel. It adjoined the palace on the east and the 
friary on the south, and its outer walls, abutting on 
Somerset Yard, probably did not display much corre- 
spondence with the splendour of its interior. This view 
is borne out by a builder's detail given in The Principles of 
Ancient Masonry^ which suggests that the facades in Somerset 
Yard were simple in character, but gives no adequate picture 



UNDER THE STUARTS 111 

of them. Seymour, in his Survey of London^ published in 
1735, says that at that date the most remarkable part of the 
palace was the chapel, built by Inigo Jones, wherein the 
Doric order was enriched in the most extravagant manner. 
Of the interior, however, two drawings have been preserved. ^ 
One shows the chancel screen, the other the reredos. The 
former comprises two tiers : First tier, Doric fluted columns 
and pilasters, in the frieze of the entablature a head centrical, 
scrolls, high-wrought foliage, &c. ; second tier, terms, with 
cherubims' heads, drapery, &c., the terms raised over the 
above columns and pilasters and carrying a cornice composed 
of scroll-work, a cherub's head, escallop shells and foliage. 
The altar screen or reredos : On each side of the altar 
double detached Ionic fluted columns placed on pedestals, 
between the pedestals, and, of the same height as the 
pedestals, the altar table ; in the space above the table a 
large rectangular frame (receptacle for the painting by 
Rubens referred to at page 123). On each side of the 
above centrical decorations doorways, and over the door- 
ways niches with statues of St. Peter and St. Paul. To 
central frame and heads of niches festoons of fruits and 
flowers. The frieze in the entablature ornamented with 
olive leaves ; above the entablature, dwarf pilasters sup- 
porting a circular pediment ; in the centre, and on each 
side of the pilasters, compartments or frames for paintings ; 
in the tympanum of the pediment a guideron shield sup- 
porting a crown, with festoons of fruits and flowers. At 
the rise of the pediment, right and left, vases with flames. 
Circular frames for paintings, their heads embellished with 
fruit and flowers, flank the vases. 

The chapel, though not large, was evidently furnished in 
harmony with the ornate ritual of the Roman Church. In 
April, 1635, Sir Richard Wynne, the Queen's treasurer, 

' See Designs by Inigo Jones and others, published by Isaac Ware in 
1757- 



112 SOMERSET HOUSE 

received payment of " a sum of ^^4,000, being the whole 
charge of the chapel at Somerset House " ; ^ but two years 
later a further payment of ^1,050 was made in settlement 
" of all charges of works due about the chapel of Denmark 
House, certified by Inigo Jones, Surveyor of the King's 
Works, to amount to that sum over and above the first 
estimate." 2 This total cost of ^^5,050 in the reign of 
Charles would represent at least ^20,000 to-day. 

During the erection of the building the Queen was unre- 
mitting in her support of Romanism ; and when at length 
all was ready the inaugural ceremony excited such in- 
terest that, according to Gamache, " persons of quality, 
ministers, people of all conditions who had never been out 
of the Kingdom came to see them (the Capuchins) as one 
goes to see Indians, Malays, Savages, and men from the 
extremities of the earth." 

In order to give more glory to God and greater esteem 
for the Catholic religion to the Huguenots the Queen 
resolved that the first mass in the new chapel should be 
celebrated with all pomp and magnificence. A sculptor, 
Francois Dieussart, was called in, and, says Gamache, " he 
complied with a very good grace, and made a machine which 
was admired even by the most ingenious persons, to exhibit 
the Holy Sacrament and to give it a more majestic appear- 
ance. 

" It represented in oval a Paradise of glory about forty 
feet in height. To accommodate it to the hearing in the 
chapel a great arch was supported by two pillars towards the 
high altar at the distance of about eight Roman palms from 

' State Papers 'Domestic : Exchequer Accounts, April ii, 1635. 

=* State Papers Domestic: April 3, 1637. It is, however, to be 
observed that VHistoire de V Entree de la Reyne Mere du Roy trh Chretien 
dans la Grande Bretagne states that the cost of building the chapel was 
defrayed out of Henrietta Maria's privy purse. (The Queen Mother 
here referred to was Mary de Medicis, Queen Dowager of France, who 
visited Henrietta Maria at Somerset House in 1638.) 



UNDER THE STUARTS 113 

the two side walls of the chapel. The spaces between the 
pillars and the walls served for passages to go from the 
sacristy to the altar. The choir of music was placed with 
the organ and the other instruments on either side over 
those vacant spaces. The pillars being planted and the arch 
erected, the opening was found to be twenty-six Roman 
palms in width and thirty-seven in height. Over each side 
appeared a prophet, with a text from his prophecy. Beneath 
the arch was placed outside the portable altar, ten palms in 
height. The ascent to it was by six steps, disposed in three 
orders ; the largest, which was in front with the balusters, 
left an unobstructed view of the altar to the persons present, 
and the others on the sides, in theatrical form, were also 
surrounded with balusters, in order that the priests wearing 
the ornaments might easily reach the altar without being 
pressed by the crowd of people. Behind the altar was seen 
a Paraclete, raised above seven ranges of clouds, in which 
were figures of archangels, of cherubim, of seraphim, to the 
number of two hundred, some adoring the Holy Sacrament, 
others singing and playing on all sorts of musical instru- 
ments, the whole painted and placed according to the rule 
of perspective. The Holy Sacrament formed the point of 
view, with hidden lights, but which kept increasing, so that 
the distance appeared very great and the number of figures 
double what they were, deceiving by an ingenious artifice 
not only the eye, but also the ear, all conceiving that, instead 
of the music, they heard the melody of the angels, singing 
and playing upon musical instruments. 

" The first circle, in the form of an oval, was twenty-seven 
palms in height and eighteen or twenty wide, and so the 
other circles decreasing in proportion to the last, which was 
only six and ten palms in height and width. The first 
circle contained angels larger than life, sitting on clouds 
singing and playing on instruments ; in the fourth and fifth 
there were angels in the habits of deacons, some with censers, 

8 



114 SOMERSET HOUSE 

others with incense boxes, some kneeling in the attitude of 
supplicants, others prostrate, pointing out the Holy Sacra- 
ment to their companions, all of them of a size proportioned 
to the distance. In the sixth and seventh circles were seen 
children with wings in various postures like so many little 
angels issuing from the clouds, playing together with 
gestures full of respect, some turned towards the centre, 
others showing the adorable Sacrament to the people, 
inviting them to rejoice and to adore it with them. In 
the eighth and ninth circles appeared cherubim and seraphim 
among the clouds, surrounded with luminous rays, with 
extraordinary skill. The place where the Holy Sacrament 
lay had a bottom of gold, and as for the lamp to the cloth 
covering the pyx it was a red oval with rays, the whole of 
which was so well contrived and appropriate and with such 
splendour that the painting seeming to vanish, there was left 
nothing but the brilliancy of the lights, which caused that 
place to appear all on fire. The number of the lights was 
about four hundred, besides the great multitude of tapers 
ingeniously arranged upon the altar, which lighted the first 
circles. All these things being thus disposed were covered 
with two curtains. 

"It was the loth of December, in the year 1636, that the 
Queen came with all her Court to hear mass. As soon as 
she had taken the place prepared for her, the curtains, being 
drawn back, all at once gave to view those wonders which 
excited admiration, joy, and adoration in Her Majesty and 
in all the Catholics. At the same time the music, com- 
posed of excellent voices, set up an anthem, the harmony of 
which, having no outlet but between the clouds and the 
figures of angels, it seemed as if the whole Paradise was full 
of music and as if the angels were themselves the musicians : 
those who sang being, in fact, concealed and not seen by 
anybody ; thus eye and ear found at the same time gratifica- 
tion in this contrivance of piety and skill. 



UNDER THE STUARTS 115 

The anthem being finished, the acolyte, subdeacons and 
deacons, and Monselgneur du Peron, then Bishop of Angou- 
leme and grand almoner to the Queen, in the pontifical 
habits, came forth from the sacristy and ascended to the 
altar by eight steps and celebrated with the greatest solemnity 
the holy mass, which was sung in eight parts so melodiously 
that one must have had a heart of stone not to be moved by 
it. Tears of joy seemed to trickle from the eyes of the 
Queen, considering in this pious and striking ceremony the 
grace which God bestowed on her to erect a church where 
would thenceforth be celebrated all the divine services 
which heresy had banished from England. It was about 
one hundred years since mass had been pontifically cele- 
brated ; a multitude of Catholics thronged to receive the 
Holy Communion from the hand of the bishop, who gave 
his benediction and indulgences to those present. After 
dinner Her Majesty again went to attend vespers, compline, 
and the sermon. The musicians, having perceived the satis- 
faction which the charming melody of their singing afforded 
the Queen, were animated to such a degree that they far 
surpassed what they had done in the morning. After 
vespers Monseigneur du Peron ascended the pulpit and 
delivered a very learned, very eloquent, and very pathetic 
sermon on this text of the Psalms : " This is the Lord's 
doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes." He dwelt with 
wonderful force upon the grace which God vouchsafed to 
the Queen to have a Catholic Church, with liberty to have 
the whole divine service performed there, after it had been 
abolished and forbidden for so many years in all England, 
Ireland, and Scotland. The sermon being finished with the 
satisfaction of the Queen, with the applause of the whole 
audience, which was very large, Her Majesty retired. Those 
who were in the chapel had great difficulty to leave it on 
account of the crowd of people who were bent on forcing 
their way in to see the magnificence displayed there. The 



116 SOMERSET HOUSE 

crush lasted so long that it was Impossible to close the doors 
of the church till the third night, when the King gave orders 
that it should be cleared of strangers, for he was desirous to 
be himself a spectator of that magnificent representation. 
Accordingly he went thither and admired the composition 
for a very long time, and said aloud that he had never seen 
anything more beautiful or more ingeniously arranged. 

" To satisfy the devotion of the Catholics and the curiosity 
of the Protestants, who never ceased coming in crowds from 
all parts to behold this wonder, the report of which had 
spread in all quarters, from the 8 th of December, the day 
consecrated to the immaculate conception of the most Blessed 
Virgin, the Queen, with great prudence, ordered the chapel 
to be left with all its decorations till Christmas. 

" This religious and brilliant ceremony was followed by 
exercises of piety, which Her Majesty's Capuchins continued 
ever afterwards in her chapel. From six o'clock in the 
morning there were successively masses and, in general, 
communions, till noon. Not a day passed without bringing 
some penitents to the confessionals. On Sundays and 
festivals the throng was so great that one could not get in 
without great difficulty. Persons were obliged to wait two 
or three hours before they could enter a confessional. On 
those days a controversial lecture was held from one o'clock 
till two, immediately before vespers, which the Capuchins 
and the musicians, placed in two galleries opposite to each 
other, sang alternately. When vespers were finished the 
preacher mounted the pulpit and preached for the space of 
an hour or three-quarters on the gospel of the day, touching 
occasionally upon certain controversial points, to confirm the 
Catholics in their faith and to draw Huguenots thither. 
Compline was then sung. Then followed various con- 
ferences, some of piety with Catholics, others of religion 
with the Sectaries, who came eagerly to be instructed in our 
creed and to have their doubts resolved. 



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To face iiage 117. 



UNDER THE STUARTS 117 

" The Christian doctrine was publicly taught in French and 
English on three different days in each week. Every 
Thursday there were expounded in French for the French 
all the symbols of the faith, the commandments of God and 
of the Church, the Sacrament, the Lord's Prayer, the way 
to confess and communicate properly, and to pass the day in 
a Christian manner ; and for the English the same things were 
taught in their language every Wednesday and Saturday." ^ 

Attached to the chapel at Somerset House was a small 
piece of ground, used as a cemetery wherein members of 
the Queen's Catholic household were buried. Father 
Richard Blount, who had at one time " reconciled " Anne of 
Denmark to the Roman Church, was interred here in 1638 
by special permission of Henrietta Maria, and about the same 
time the remains of the eminent Italian Orazio Gentileschi, 
painter of a beautiful "Annunciation" preserved at Turin, 
were entombed under the high altar of the chapel. Pere 
Gamache records how he obtained the Queen's permission 
for a gentleman who " desired so much to be buried in the 
Cemetry of the Queen's Chapel," and that in order to pre- 
vent disturbance the body was conveyed there in a covered 
carriage at night. How highly valued the permission was 
may be judged by the fact that, owing to the severity of the 
penal laws. Catholics were for the most part obliged to inter 
their dead in Protestant churchyards with rites which must 
have been exceedingly distasteful to them. It often happened 
that the priest attending a devout Catholic in his last illness 
was besought to bless a little mould which might be put with 
the corpse into the coffin in order that the deceased should 
not be denied the last benediction of his Church. 

A sympathetic picture of the Roman Catholics of this 
period is to be found in John Inglesant. In a passage 
describing the hero's arrival at Somerset House, Mr. Short- 
house gives us in few words a clear view of the neighbour- 
' Memoirs of Pere Cyprien de Gamache. 



118 SOMERSET HOUSE 

hood : *' They resumed their passage down the Strand, 
Father St. Clare remarking on the strange ideas a stranger 
would attach to the state of religion in England if he 
listened only to the opposing cries. All down the Strand 
the Jesuit pointed out the beautiful houses of the nobility 
and the glimpses of the river between them. They stopped 
at Somerset House, then a large, rambling series of buildings 
extending round several courts, with gardens and walks on 
the river banks and a handsome Watergate leading to the 
river. They went to the lodging of Father Cory, the 
Queen's confessor, who was at home and received them 
hospitably. Johnny was so taken up with all the astounding 
sights around him, especially with the wonderful view up 
and down the river, with the innumerable boats and barges, 
the palaces and gardens and churches and steeples on the 
banks, that it was a day or two before he could think 
calmly on anything, and as there was only one other chapel 
in London (St. James's) where the sacraments might be 
openly approached, the confessionals were thronged, persons 
being obliged to wait two or three hours before they could 
enter." 

The activities which were centred in the chapel excited 
the utmost interest throughout London. Conversions soon 
became numerous, and the growing influence of the Catholics 
again attracted the attention of the House of Commons. 
The Queen had already succeeded in securing official 
recognition for Gregorio Panzani, a special missioner from 
Rome, and Panzani was now succeeded by Con, a Scotsman 
by birth, who arrived fresh from Italy with a prodigious 
quantity of relics, medals, and other objects blessed by the 
Pope. He was soon engaged in proselytising the ladies of 
the Court, and in consequence of his assiduity the Queen 
found herself in collision with Archbishop Laud, who, 
however, effected little against her. The proclamation 
which Charles prepared at Laud's instance was so modified 



UNDER THE STUARTS 119 

by the Queen as to be rendered valueless, and she further 
arranged that at the Christmas festivities following the 
opening of the chapel all new converts to the Catholic faith 
should be marshalled to receive communion in a body at 
Somerset House for the purpose of emphasising their 
number. "You have now seen," she exclaimed trium- 
phantly to Con as soon as the service was over, " what 
has become of the proclamation." 

Laud nevertheless continued to protest against the bigotry 
of the Queen, and the ease with which she won the King's 
acquiescence in her proceedings. Indeed, the energy of the 
one and the passivity of the other combined to bring the 
papists into such prominence at Court as to be a constant 
menace to the cause of English Protestantism. Laud, at the 
Council table, had the courage to use what he himself in his 
diary calls " free speech to the King," concerning the in- 
creasing power of the Roman party, the freedom of Denmark 
House, and the carriage of Mr. Walter Montague and Sir 
Toby Matthew ; and, he adds, " the Queen was acquainted 
with all that I said that very night, and highly displeased, 
and so continues." 

There was without doubt the amplest justification for the 
Archbishop's words of protest. His own integrity had been 
assailed by the offer of a Cardinal's hat, and on all hands 
the Catholics gained ground. The rector of St. Giles in the 
Fields complained that a great part of his parishioners had 
turned papist and refused to attend church. " Popery 
certainly increaseth much among us," runs a contemporary 
newsletter ; " and will do so still as long as there is such 
access of all sorts of English to the Chapel in Somerset 
House, utterly forbidden and punishable by the law of the 
land." ^ Evidently my lord of Dorset, who four years 
before had been so zealous in shutting the English out of 
Somerset House had wearied of well-doing ; it is possible 
* Mr. Garrard to Lord Wentworth, March 23, 1636. 



120 SOMERSET HOUSE 

even that the pertinacious Capuchins had won him over 
at last. At any rate, converts were plentiful among the 
patrician class, and the case of Lady Newport was for awhile 
notorious. " There hath been an horrible noise," writes 
Mr. Garrard,^ "about the Lady Newport's being become a 
Roman Catholic : she went one evening as she came from 
a play in Drury Lane to Somerset House, where one of 
the Capuchins reconciled her to the Popish Church of 
which she is now a weak member." But there were still a 
few sturdy Protestants remaining. Sir William Balfour, 
Lieutenant of the Tower, was one of them. He became 
suspicious that his wife " resorted a little too much to 
Denmark House, and staid long abroad, which made him 
one day send after her. Word being brought to him where 
she was, he goes thither, finds her at her devotions in the 
Chapel ; he beckons her out, she comes accompanied with a 
priest, who somewhat too saucily reprehended the lieutenant 
for disturbing the lady in her devotions ; for which he 
struck him two or three sound blows with his battoon, and 
the next day came and told the King the whole passage, so 
it passed over." 2 In visiting the sick, and carrying the 
sacrament to outlying places in the Metropolis, no doubt 
the Capuchins effected a good work, and aroused the genuine 
interest of sympathetic spirits. But by far the greater part 
of the population was devoted to Protestantism, and the 
continuous display at Somerset House grew more and more 
irritating. 

The disgust and suspicion generally attached to the doings 
of the priests from the time of their first appearance at Court, 
is voiced in a manuscript describing their expulsion in 1626. 
" Of the King's magnanimous act (in granting payment of 
the Queen's fictitious debts), he hath such satisfactory 
reasons as will stop the mouths of all gainsayers. One 
might be the extravagant power of this bishop (of Mende) 
' November 9, 1637. ^ Newsletter, May, 1638. 



UNDER THE STUARTS 121 

who when he was last in France sueing to be a secretary of 
state, fell short of that and so took instructions from the 
Pope's Nuncio ; which in case he should bring into effect he 
was promised a Cardinal's hat, which now lies in the dust. 
The rest of the clergy were the most superstitious, turbulent 
and Jesuitical priests that could be found in all France, very 
fit to make firebrands of sedition in a foreign state ; so that 
his Majesty so long as he gave them entertainment, did but 
nourish so many vipers in his bosom. Nay, their insolence 
towards the Queen were not to be endured ; for besides 
that these bawdy knaves would by way of confession 
interrogate her how often in a night the King had kissed 
her ; and no longer ago than upon St. James's day last 
those hypocritical dogs made the poor Queen walk afoot 
(some add barefoot) ■ from her house at St. James's to the 
gallows at Tyburn, thereby to honour the saint of the day 
in visiting that holy place where so many martyrs forsooth 
had shed their blood in defence of the Catholic cause. Had 
they not also made her to dabble in the dirt in a foul 
morning from Somerset House to St. James's, her Luci- 
ferian confessor riding along by her in his coach. Yea, 
they have made her to go barefoot, to spin, to cut her meat 
out of dishes, to wait at the table, to serve her servants, with 
many other ridiculous and absurd penances. Besides all 
this, letters of some of the French about her Majesty are 
said to have been intercepted, by which it hath appeared 
they have not only practised with the Pope on the one side, 
and the English Papists on the other side, but have had 
intelligence also with the Spaniard." ^ 

By the interest of the Queen the King was too often 
prevailed upon to grant letters of grace and favour in 
behalf of Papists, and to direct the Courts of Justice to stay 
all proceedings against them. Even after conviction. 
Letters of Protection were frequently dispatched to the 
^ Mr. Pory to the Rev. Joseph Mead, July i, 1626. 



122 SOMERSET HOUSE 

Judges of the Court directing the remission of fines and 
other penalties. Indeed so general was this consideration 
shown to Catholics, that many of the Privy Council were 
suspected of inclining to Popery. The popular feeling 
manifested itself in libels upon the persons of both King 
and Queen. During Charles's Scottish expedition of 1639, 
the Queen who had with difficulty been dissuaded from 
joining him in the field, commanded a fast to be kept every 
Saturday during the King's absence, among the Catholics 
who frequented her chapel. The Civil War was slowly 
brewing, and the distasteful practices carried on under her 
direction at Somerset House, soon formed the staple topic 
of Roundhead oratory in the House of Commons. About 
this time also a political squib addressed to the Council 
gave various reasons why the unpopular tax known as ship 
and conduct money ought freely to be paid : " First, for 
setting up of the Mass and maintaining idolatry. . . . The 
Pope's nuncio takes, and has these five years taken great 
pains in perverting his Majesty's simple subjects, who 
herein is weekly at very great charges in sending to Rome 
for a cartload of the wood of the holy Cross, and many old 
horses' and dogs' bones and teeth, which he sells dear 
enough ; but that cannot defray him and his great train, for 
he sends every week a packet of all the affairs here to Rome ; 
he must be well rewarded of ship and conduct money. The 
Friars of Somerset House who labour in distributing those 
relics for many private masses, and for keeping bastards, 
one in Dunhill Alley and four in Drury Lane, besides 
seven or eight in St. Giles, must have ship money to keep 
them and pay the nurses. . . . The Queen Mother, where- 
soever she hath been, there could be no peace or tranquillity, 
yet ship and conduct money must be had to keep her and 
all her chaggraggs. . . . Therefore, we brave soldiers and 
boys intend to ' unwroote ' (uproot) the doggish Friars of 
Somerset House on Thursday next." 



UNDER THE STUARTS 123 

The King's private secretary advised him by letter to 
obviate debates concerning the Capuchins, by sending them 
all away before the attack commenced. But Charles replied : 
" I know not what to say if it be not to advertise my wife 
of the parliament's intention concerning her Capuchins and 
so first hear what she will say." The Queen, however, 
refused to give way, and the priests remained a while longer. 
But when the war at last broke out the chapel at Somerset 
House was the first point of attack. Embittered by the 
Queen's disregard of milder protests, the House of Commons 
appointed a committee to arrest the Capuchins, to destroy 
all the vestments, idols (as they scornfully called the images) 
and utensils belonging to the chapel, to search for the Papal 
bulls authorising the erection of the convent, to make an 
inventory of the hangings and household furniture in the 
convent, and to deliver such effects to the keeper of the 
palace (March 30, 1643). (Most of these effects were 
subsequently recovered by the French Government.) Drastic 
as this order seemed no detail of it was left unexecuted. On 
Thursday in Passion Week the doors of the convent were 
battered down by a body of armed men, who seized the 
priests as they went on their daily round, ransacked their 
apartments, and carried off" their provisions. Another body 
burst into the chapel, broke in pieces the confessionals, 
demolished the altars, threw a valuable picture by Rubens 
into the Thames, and " what my pen cannot record without 
trembling," says Gamache, " visited their rage upon Jesus 
Christ himself in the mystery that demands of us most love 
and reverence," by scourging a crucifix and piercing another 
with halberds. Not satisfied with these measures, the 
House, in January, 1648, ordered another Committee to 
break open the locks of the chapel, to erect seats and a 
pulpit, and to demolish every article of which they dis- 
approved. " At that time," says Gamache, " you heard 
nothing talked of in London but the ruin and desolation of 
the Catholics." 



124 SOMERSET HOUSE 

In palliation of this ferocious assault upon the Queen's 
establishment, it must be borne in mind that her continuous 
intriguing against the representatives of the people naturally 
provoked a reprisal. Indeed there can be little doubt that, 
among the factors which contributed to bring Charles to the 
block, one of the most considerable was Henrietta's tactless 
and provocative championship of the Roman faith. In 
despite of the advice of sage counsellors, she continued her 
irritating crusade, alienating the King's friends, and widen- 
ing the breach between him and his enemies. The portentous 
threats which coloured the debates in Parliament left her 
unmoved, and she persisted in the parade of her religion up 
to the very moment of her departure for Holland (January, 

1643)- 

Her sojourn in that country, during which she raised 
money on the Crown jewels to buy armed assistance for the 
King, her subsequent journeys with the Royal army in 
England, her flight to France, and her efforts there to 
enlist the support of the people of her faith, all speak of 
indomitable spirit and a tireless devotion to the cause of 
the English monarchy.^ But her devotion was misguided : 
its very persistence defeated the ends it strove to promote. 
It made the life of the King a menace to the commonweal, 
and gave urgency to the call for his execution. 

Soon after Charles had been brought to the block (January 
30, 1649), Somerset House, together with several tenements 
in the Strand,^ parcel of the possession of Charles Stuart and 

' The Queen's fortunes in France were of the most miserable. In 
1648 Cardinal de Retz found her at the Louvre in a state verging on 
destitution, tending her baby daughter Henrietta, whom she was forced 
to keep in bed for want of means to light a fire. Of this episode Father 
Gamache says, " In the depth of her distress at the blockade of Paris, 
Queen Henrietta Maria, had sold not only her jewels to supply her 
famishing household, but even the altar plate of her chapel." 

^ These tenements had been erected on land adjoining the Strand and 
forming part of the site acquired by the Duke of Somerset, though 
whether it was embraced in the original plan of his palace and merely 



UNDER THE STUARTS 125 

Henrietta Maria, late King and Queen of England, was 
ordered to be sold. On this occasion the building 
narrowly escaped being pulled down for the purpose of 
making a street from the garden by the river through the 
ground occupied by the chapel and so to the Strand ; but 
the chapel having been granted to the French Protestants, 
the design of demolishing the whole was abandoned. We 
read of this in An essay on the wonders of God in the 
times that •preceded Christy and how they met in him ; 
written in France by John d'Espagne, minister of the 
gospel. The preface of this remarkable tract tells that 
the author used to preach in the French chapel at Durham 

abandoned to less distinguished uses after his death we are unable to say. 
The tenements arc thus described : — 

The Three Bells, in the parish of St. Mary-le-Savoy, let on lease by 
King James in the 4th year of his reign, 13s. 4d. 

The Sugar Loaf, in the same parish, let as aforesaid, 20s. 

The Gun. Idem, 26s. 8d. 

The Prince's Arms. Idem. And Golden Lion, 26s. 8d. 

The Three Pigeons. Idem, 26s. 8d. 

The Feathers, adjoining to Somerset House, as also the White Horse. 
Idem, 26s. 8d. 

The Golden Fleece. Idem, 26s. 8d. 

The Pyed Bull ; as also the Goat. Idem, 26s. 8d. 

The Mitre Tavern and the Red Lion (by lease from O. Eliz.), l6s. 8d. 

The Mortar and Pestle (let by King James on a lease), 20s. 

The Chequer. Idem. In Strand Lane, 4d. 

The Sugar Loaf. Idem, 26s. 8d. 

The Golden Ball (by lease from Oueen Elizabeth), i 3s. 4d. 

The Golden Bull (by the Viscount Purbcck, if he so long live), a 
pepper corn. 

A house adjoining to the Chequer, in Strand Lane, in the Parish of 
St. Clement Danes ; not on lease, £,16. 

The Sugar Loaf, j^30. 

A house adjoining to the Sugar Loaf (let by Queen Elizabeth to- 
gether), 15s. 

The Plough (let by King James), 23s. 4d. 

The Bird in Hand (let by Oueen Elizabeth), 26s. 8d. 

They had been granted in 1620 by Charles, Prince of Wales (after- 
wards Charles I.), to John Viscount Purbeck, and described as " 24 
messuages, but since divided into more tenements " for a term of 99 
years if he should so long live, paying yearly los. at Michaelmas. 
Viscount Purbeck was a brother of George, first Duke of Buckingham, 



126 SOMERSET HOUSE 

House, and that when that building was pulled down 
*' it pleased God to touch the hearts of the Nobility to 
procure us an order of the House of Peers to exercise our 
devotions at Somerset House Chapel ; which was the cause 
not only of the driving away the Anabaptists, Quakers, and 
other sects that had got in there, but also hindered the 
pulling down of Somerset House, there having been an 
order from the late usurped powers for selling the said 
house ; but we prevailed so far that we still got order to 
exempt the chapel from being sold, which broke the design 
of those who thought for their improvement to have made 
a street from the Garden through the ground the Chapel 
stands on, and so up the back yard to the great street of 
the Strand by pulling down the said Chapel." Whatever 
credit may be due to John d'Espagne in this matter, the 
Council continued in the mind to dispose of the whole 
property, and had a wealthy purchaser come forward there 
can be little doubt that the sale would have been nego- 
tiated. Ludlow asserts definitely that the palace was dis- 
posed of for ^10,000, with the exception of the chapel, and 
in the Revenue notes for July, 1659, we discover that *' the 
moneys arising from the sale of Somerset House ^ are not 
included herein, but are to go towards the Council's con- 
tingencies." At one time the palace was like to have 
fallen into the hands of the Quakers, who appear to have 
possessed certain rights in the chapel. George Fox writes 
in his Journal that *' when some forward spirits that came 
among us would have bought Somerset House, that we 
might have meetings in it, I forbade them to do so ; for I 
then foresaw the King's coming in again." Perhaps it was 
the King's coming in again which frustrated the completion 
of the sale ; at any rate, no question of ownership was raised 
at the Restoration. 

^ It is not unlikely that this has reference to the proceeds of the sale 
of the King's pictures and other belongings hereafter described. 



UNDER THE STUARTS 127 

While waiting for a tempting offer, the Council did not 
neglect to utilise the palace for public purposes. Early in 
1649 lodgings in Somerset House, once possessed by the 
Prince Elector (brother-in-law to Charles I.), were given 
for the use of the Lord General (Fairfax), and later it was 
ordered that the palace should be fitted up for the head- 
quarters of the Army. In pursuance of this order, it 
was assigned to the trustees appointed for the sale of the 
late King's goods to the best advantage (July 20, 1649). 
But the operations of these salesmen-trustees appear to 
have inconvenienced certain Members of Parliament who 
had made themselves comfortable in the unoccupied apart- 
ments, for in less than a fortnight afterwards there occurs 
another note in the proceedings of the Council, to the 
effect that " notwithstanding any former order to the 
trustees for the sale of the late King's goods to use the 
rooms in Somerset House, it is not intended that any 
Member of Parliament having lodgings there be removed." 
Then while the sale was proceeding, and the personal 
belongings of Charles and his Queen were being disposed 
of among curiosity-hunters, an order was made that " the 
Lord General and his officers forbear coming to Somerset 
House until the goods are sold, there being need to use 
them (the rooms) for showing the goods." Nothing 
remains to tell us how the Puritan ladies and gentlemen 
flocked through the building and marked the vain accoutre- 
ments of royalty with a price, but it is not difficult to 
picture the tawdry desolation which overspread the luxuri- 
ous home of Henrietta Maria while poverty-stricken in 
Paris she reared her youngest daughter. According to an 
inventory of the objects offered for sale, we judge that the 
furniture of Somerset House in Charles's day comprised 
many articles which have since acquired an almost priceless 
value. The arras hangings, tapestries and pictures alone 
formed one of the most remarkable private collections ever 



128 SOMERSET HOUSE 

brought together. In addition, there were many magnifi- 
cent carpets and cloths of state, canopies of crimson 
velvet and cloth of silver. Queen Anne's Parliament and 
Coronation robes, and robes worn by Henry VIII., clocks 
and mirrors of great beauty. A single bed of French satin 
finely embroidered was appraised at ^i,ooo in the currency 
of the day, and among the hundreds of pictures a Madonna 
by Raphael was valued at ^2,000, and a Sleeping Venus by 
Correggio at ^1,000. A catalogue of the pictures would 
surely provide the modern connoisseur with an easy exercise 
in attributions. Even in Charles's day the genuine work of 
Leonardo and Giorgione was scarcely so plentiful as was 
popularly supposed ; but Leonardo and Giorgione, Cor- 
reggio and Raphael, do not exhaust the catalogue : there 
are examples of Titian, Michael Angelo, Holbein, Tinto- 
retto, Vandyke, Palmavecchio, Schiavone, Guilio Romano, 
Jacopo Bassano, Paris Bordone, Andrea del Sarto, Guido 
and many more. There were thirty classic sculptures in 
the palace, and five statues in the gardens. ^ All were now 
exposed for sale. By the 8 th of September a considerable 
clearance had been effected, for on that date occurs an order 
that " all rooms and accommodations in Somerset House 
are appointed for the headquarters except the five rooms of 
state on the King's side, the Queen's little closet, the great 
hall, with the lodgings formerly held by Colonel Waite, and 
Mr. Laurence's two rooms." Then on April 23rd follow- 
ing comes a further reservation of " three rooms at Somerset 
House to be kept furnished with beds for the use of the 
State." It is at least doubtful whether the rooms assigned 
for the use of the Lord General (Fairfax) were ever occu- 
pied by him. During the time the building accommodated 
the head-quarters staff, the army was under the command 
of Lieutenant-General Fleetwood, who is known to have 
resided there. The staff did not, however, occupy the 
' Sec Appendix I. 



UNDER THE STUARTS 129 

whole of the building ; certain public men still held apart- 
ments in it, and among them was the famous architect, 
Inigo Jones. He died at Somerset House on June 21, 1552. 

While the army of the Commonwealth occupied the palace 
as an office, in the chapel close by insurrectionary and here- 
tical enthusiasts were proclaiming a new-fangled gospel of 
politics. On April 10, 1653, "a young glazier at Somer- 
set House preached destruction to the Parliament, and some 
officers have said that rather than the Parliament should 
continue they would bring in the Cavaliers." According 
to another account he " told his auditors they should ere 
long see a greater destruction fall on the Parliament than 
ever befell the Cavaliers." During his declamation a woman 
irrelevantly cried, " Why do you wear cuffs ? Neither our 
Lord nor His disciples ever taught in cuffs." But the 
preacher had the sympathies of the congregation, and the 
woman was ejected. 

Already there was discontent under the rule of Cromwell, 
and whatever virtues may be adjudged to the Long Parlia- 
ment at that time sitting, the dearth of elections was no 
doubt acutely felt. In July, 1653, there "started up an 
audacious virago, a feminine tub-preacher, who last Sunday 
held forth for almost two hours in the late Queen's Mass 
Chapel at Somerset House, Strand, and has done so there 
and elsewhere several Sundays of late. She claps her Bible 
and thumps the pulpit cushions with almost as much confi- 
dence (I should have said impudence) as honest Hugh 
Peter himself." ^ Considerable freedom appears to have 
been granted the womankind of Cromwell's day. We are 
apt to claim the shrieking sister for a product of modernity 
until we thus encounter her full-fledged among the Puritans. 
What sort her audience was to hearken for two hours, and 
whether at last her eloquence prevailed and won them over, 
we should have had no means to say but for the chance 

' StaU Papers Domestic, 

9 



130 SOMERSET HOUSE 

record of a contemporary, writing four days after the event : 
" On Sunday last," he observes, "the sermon at Westminster 
was disturbed by soldiers coming in with drums and trum- 
pets ; a woman at Somerset House like to have been 
stoned." It is scarcely to be doubted that the unpopular 
woman was the disciple of " honest Hugh Peter," the 
seventeenth-century representative of Hyde Park oratory. 
That she even essayed another sermon may perhaps be 
judged from the fact that on the Sunday next after her 
escape from stoning " the congregation at Somerset House 
was dispersed by the soldiers." 

In February, 1654, occurs an order of the Council *' that 
the Somerset House Committee sit this day fortnight and 
bring in a particular account of what goods of the late King 
have been sold, and what creditors are satisfied ; also of 
what are yet unsold, and what claims are still remaining 
unpaid." Gradually the appurtenances of royal splendour 
were disappearing, and when, a few years later, the order 
was issued for a company of soldiers to be quartered in 
Somerset House, the step may not have appeared out- 
rageous. 

Here in 1656 the remains of the venerable Archbishop 
Usher, whose private virtues, we are told, induced Cromwell 
to honour him with a public funeral in Westminster Abbey, 
were laid in state. Here also was laid the body of Cromwell 
himself. 

Whatever contempt for royalty and every symbol and 
ceremony by which royalty is denoted Cromwell may at one 
time have harboured, it is apparent that no sooner was he 
invested with the powers than he assumed the dignities of 
a king. When he became Protector, the escutcheon of 
Cromwell invariably distinguished the centre of the national 
ensign, and the order of his investiture was designed with 
regal state. He occupied the palace of Whitehall, and 
maintained it with a splendour his predecessor had scarcely 




Oliver Cromwell lying in State at Somerset HorsE. 



To face i)ai;'e 131. 



UNDER THE STUARTS 131 

surpassed. It is not surprising, therefore, that his obsequies 
should have been conducted with extravagant pomp, and 
that in the pageantry with which it was surrounded the 
Puritan spirit should have been finally engulphed. " He died 
at Whitehall on the 3rd of September, 1658 ; and his corpse 
having been embalmed and wrapped in lead, was, on the six 
and twentieth day of September^ about 10 of the clock at 
night, privately removed to Somerset House, being only 
attended by his own domestic officers and servants, as the 
lord chamberlain and comptroller of the household, the 
gentlemen of the life guard, the guard or halberdiers, 
and divers other officers and servants ; two heralds of arms 
went next before the corpse, which was placed in a 
mourning hearse, drawn by six horses ; in which manner 
it was carried to Somerset House, where it remained 
for some days in private until things were in readiness to 
expose it in state to a public view, which was performed 
with the following order and solemnity. 

" The first room at Somerset House, where the spectators 
entered, was formerly the presence-chamber, completely 
hung with black, at the upper end whereof was placed a 
cloth of state, with a chair of state under the same. The 
second large room was formerly the privy chamber, hung 
with black, with a cloth and chair of state under the same. 
The third room was formerly the withdrawing room, hung 
with black cloth, and had a cloth and chair of state in it as 
the former : all which three large rooms were completely 
furnished with scutcheons of his highness's arms, crowned 
with the imperial crown ; and at the head of each cloth of 
state was fixed a large majestic scutcheon, fairly painted, and 
gilt upon taffity. The fourth room, where both the corpse 
and the effigies did lie, was completely hung with black 
velvet, and the roof was ceiled with velvet, and a large 
canopy or cloth of state, of black velvet, fringed, was placed 
over the effigies, made to the life in wax. The effigies 



132 SOMERSET HOUSE 

itself being apparelled in a rich suit of uncut velvet, 
robed in a little robe of purple velvet, laced with a rich 
gold lace, and furred with ermins ; upon the kirtle was the 
royal large robe of the like purple velvet, laced and furred 
with ermins with rich strings and tassels of gold ; the kirtle 
being girt with a rich embroidered belt, wherein was a fair 
sword, richly gilt and hatched with gold, hanging by the 
side of the effigies. In the right hand was the golden 
scepter representing government : in the left hand the globe, 
denoting principality : upon the head a purple velvet cap, 
furred with ermins, signifying regality : behind the head 
there was placed a rich chair of state, of tissued gold, and 
upon the cushion which lay thereon was placed an imperial 
crown, set with precious stones. The body of the effigies 
lay upon a bed of state, covered with a large pall of black 
velvet, under which there was spread a fine holland sheet, 
upon six stools of tissued cloth of gold ; on the sides of 
the bed of state was placed one rich suit of complete 
armour, representing his late highness's command as general ; 
at the feet of the effigies stood his crest, according to the 
custom of ancient monuments. 

" The bed of state whereupon the effigies did then lie was 
ascended unto by two steps, covered with the aforesaid pall 
of velvet, the whole work being compassed about with rails 
and ballusters covered with velvet ; at each corner whereof 
there was placed an upright pillar, covered with velvet, upon 
the tops whereof were the four supporters of the imperial 
arms, bearing banners or streamers, crowned. The pillars 
were adorned with trophies of military honour, carved and 
gilt, the pedestals of the pillars had shields and crowns gilt 
which completed the whole work. Within the rails and 
ballusters stood eight great silver candlesticks, or standarts, 
almost five foot high, with virgin- wax tapers of three foot long; 
next unto the candlesticks there were set upright, in sockets, 
the four great standards of his highness's arms, the guydons, 



UNDER THE STUARTS 133 

great banners, and banrolls of war, being all of taffity, very 
richly gilt and painted. The cloth of state, which covered the 
bed of state and the effigies, had a majestie scutcheon, and 
the whole room was fully and completely adorned with 
taffity scutcheons : several of his late highness's gentlemen 
attending bareheaded round about the bed of state in 
mourning, and other of his highness's servants waiting in 
the other rooms to give directions to the spectators and to 
prevent disorders. After which his late highness's effigies 
was several days shown in another room standing upon an 
ascent under a rich cloth of state, vested in royal robes, 
having a scepter in one hand and a globe in the other, a 
crown on his head, his armour lying by him, at a distance, 
and the banners, banrolls, and standards being placed round 
about him, together with the other ensigns of honour. 
The whole room, which was spacious, being adorned in a 
majestical manner, and several of his late highness's gentle- 
men attending about the effigies bareheaded ; in which 
manner the effigies continued until the solemnization of the 
funerals. 

" On the three and twentieth day of November, in the 
morning, the time appointed for the solemnization of the 
funeral of his late highness, the several persons of honour 
and quality, which were invited to attend the interment, 
being come to Somerset House, and all things being in a 
readiness to proceed, the effigies of his late highness standing 
under a rich cloth of state in the manner afore specified was 
first shown to the company, and afterwards removed and 
placed on a hearse, richly adorned, and set forth with 
scutcheons and other ornaments ; the effigies itself being 
vested in royal robes, a scepter in one hand, a globe in the 
other, and a crown on the head. After it had been a while 
thus placed in the middle of the room it was carried on the 
hearse, by ten of his late highness's gentlemen, into the 
courtyard, where a very rich canopy of state was borne over 



134 SOMERSET HOUSE 

It, by six other of his late highness's gentlemen, till it was 
brought and placed on the chariot, at each end whereof was 
a seat, whereon sat two of his late highness's gentlemen of 
the bed-chamber, the one at the head and the other at the 
feet of the effigies. The pall which was made of velvet 
and white linen, was very large, extending on each side 
of the carriage, and was borne up by several persons of 
honour thereunto appointed. The chariot wherein the 
effigies was conveyed, was covered with black velvet, adorned 
with plumes and scutcheons, and was drawn by six horses, 
covered with black velvet, and each of them adorned with 
black plumes of feathers. 

" From Somerset House to Westminster the streets were 
railed in and strewed with sand, the soldiers being placed on 
each side of the streets, without the rails, and their ensigns 
wrapped up in a cypress mourning veil. The manner of 
the proceeding to the interment was briefly this : First, a 
knight marshal advanced on horseback, with his black 
truncheon tipt at both ends with gold, attended by his 
deputy and thirteen men on horseback to clear the way. 
After him followed the poor men of Westminster in mourning 
gowns and hoods, marching two and two. Next unto them 
followed the servants of the several persons of all qualities, 
which attended the funeral. These were followed by all his 
late highness's servants, as well inferior as superior, both 
within and without the household, as also all his highness's 
bargemen and watermen. Next unto these followed the 
servants and officers belonging to the Lord Mayor and 
sherrifFs of the City of London. Then came several 
gentlemen and attendants upon the respective ambassadors 
and the other public ministers. After those came the poor 
knights of Windsor in gowns and hoods. Then followed 
the clerks, secretaries and other officers belonging to the 
Army, Admiralty, the Treasury, the Navy and Exchequer. 
After those came the officers in command of the fleet, as also 



UNDER THE STUARTS 135 

the officers of the army. Next followed the commissioners 
for excise, those of the army and the Committee of the 
Navy. Then came the officers, messengers and clerks 
belonging to the Privy Council and the clerks of both 
houses of Parliament. Next followed his late highness's 
physicians. The head officers of the army. The chief 
officers and aldermen of the City of London. The masters 
of the Chancery with his highness's learned council at law. 
The judges of the admiralty, the masters of request, with 
the judges in Wales. The barons of the Exchequer, the 
judges of both benches, and the lord-mayor of London. 
Next to these the persons allied in blood to his late highness 
and the members of the lord's house. After them the 
public ministers of foreign states and princes. Then the 
Hollander ambassador alone, whose train was borne up by 
four gentlemen. Next to him the Portugal ambassador 
alone, whose train was held up by four knights of the order 
of Christ. And, thirdly, the French ambassador, whose 
train was also held up by four persons of quality. Then 
followed the lords commissioners of the great seal, the 
lords commissioners of the treasury, the lords of his 
late highness's most honourable privy-council. After whom 
followed the chief mourner and those persons of quality 
which were his assistants and bare up his train. All the 
nobles were in close mourning, the rest were but in ordinary, 
being disposed in their passage into several divisions, being 
distinguished by drums and trumpets, and by a standard or 
banner borne by a person of honour and his assistant, and a 
horse of state covered with black velvet and led by a person 
of honour followed by two grooms : of which horses there 
were eleven in all, four covered with black cloth and seven 
with velvet. These being all passed in order, at length the 
chariot followed with the effigies ; on each side of which 
were borne six banner rolls, twelve in all, by as many 
persons of honour. The several pieces of his late highness's 



136 SOMERSET HOUSE 

armour were borne by eight honourable persons, officers of 
the army, attended by a herald and a gentleman on each 
side. Next followed Garter, principal king of arms, attended 
with a gentleman on each side, bareheaded. Then came the 
chief mourner, together with those lords and noble person- 
ages that were supporters and assistants to the chief mourner. 
Then followed the horse of honour, in very rich trappings, 
embroidered upon crimson velvet, and adorned with white, 
red, and yellow plumes, and was led by the master of the 
horse. Finally, in the close of all, followed his late 
highness's guard of halberdiers, and the warders of the 
Tower. The solemnity was managed with a great deal of 
state from Somerset House to Westminster, many thousands 
of people being spectators in the windows and upon the 
scaffolds all along the way as it passed." ^ 

Ludlow says that the folly and profusion of this display 
so provoked the people that they threw dirt in the night on 
the escutcheon which was placed over the great gate of 
Somerset House, and George Fox notes in his Journal how 
" there was a great pother made about the image or effigy 
of Oliver lying in State ; men standing and sounding with 
trumpets over his image after he was dead. At this my 
spirit was greatly grieved and the Lord, I found, was highly 
offended." 

Between the day of the Protector's death and that of his 
public obsequies over eleven weeks elapsed, and owing to a 
defect in the antiseptic treatment of the corpse a private 
burial became necessary long before the time fixed for the 
State funeral. This was originally arranged for November 
9th, but owing to the magnitude of the necessary prepara- 
tions it did not take place till the 23rd. And even then the 
solemnity did not impose conviction, for Evelyn remarks: 

^ See Noble's Memoirs of the Protectoral House of Cromwell, The 
expense of the funeral amounted to ^^ 28,000. The undertaker, a Mr. 
Rolt, was paid but a small part, if any, of his bill. 



UNDER THE STUARTS 137 

" It was the joyfuUest funeral I ever saw ; for there were 
none that cried but dogs, which the soldiers hooted away 
with a barbarous noise, drinking and taking tobacco in the 
streets as they went." ^ We detect here the aloofness of 
Evelyn from all that did honour to Cromwell, the regicide 
usurper ; his hostility is more open when on January 30, 
1660, he writes: "This day (O the stupendous and 
inscrutable judgment of God !) were the carcases of those 
arch-rebels Cromwell, Bradshawe and Ireton dragged out of 
their superb tombs in Westminster among the Kings to 
Tyburn and hanged on the gallows there from nine in the 
morning till six at night, and then buried under that fatal 
and ignominious monument in a deep pit ; thousands of 
people who had seen them In all their pride being 
spectators." 

During the protectorate of Richard Cromwell a small 
garrison of soldiers was accommodated, probably in that 
part of the building which lay to the east of the Great 
Court. But no incident of this period is recorded except in 
the diary of Samuel Pepys, who describes how on February 
2, 1659, "over against Somerset House, hearing the noise 
of guns, we landed and found the Strand full of soldiers. 
So I took up my money and went to Mrs. Johnson, my 
Lord's sempstress, and, giving her my money to lay up. 
Doling and I went upstairs to a window and looked out and 
saw the Foot face the Horse and beat them back, and stood 
bawling and calling in the street for a free parliament and 
money. By and by a drum was heard coming towards 
them, and they all got ready and faced them, and they proved 
to be of the same mind with them ; and so they made a 
great deal of joy to see one another. After all this I 
went home on foot to lay up my money and change my 
stockings and shoes." 

The name Denmark House, by which the building had 

' Diary. 



138 SOMERSET HOUSE 

been known since Anne's day, disappeared finally at the 
death of Charles I. Fuller suggests that the memory of 
the Duke of Somerset prevailed so strongly that the name 
Denmark House was soon forgotten ^ ; but Charles pre- 
served it throughout his reign, probably out of respect for 
his mother. Its disappearance at the Commonwealth is 
traceable to the general hatred of the Stuarts and the desire 
to extinguish all traces of their influence, 

^ Church History. 



CHAPTER III {continued) 

SOMERSET HOUSE UNDER THE STUARTS 

(iii) Charles II 

AT the Restoration of the Monarchy Henrietta Maria, 
the Queen-Mother, resolved to return to England, 
and preparations for her reception at the dower palace of 
Somerset House were at once begun. The arrangements 
were still incomplete when Henry, Duke of Gloucester, the 
King's brother, died of small-pox, and the Lords of the 
Council after a fruitless debate upon the manner of the 
interment ordered the body to be embalmed and sent 
privately to Somerset House to be deposited there under 
the care of His Royal Highness's servants until such time 
as the obsequies could be decided upon. It lay at the 
palace for nearly three weeks, and was taken thence for 
burial to the Abbey. Pepys writes : " Upon the water saw 
the corpse of the Duke of Gloucester brought down Somerset 
House stairs to go by water to Westminster, to be buried 
to-night." I 

The return of Henrietta Maria involved the reversion of 
her Chapel to its original uses. During the Common- 
wealth it had served as a meeting-place for several dissenting 
sects, and was doubtless a convenient vantage-ground for any 
impecunious community privileged to occupy it. On this 
account petty jealousies sprang up among the various congre- 

' September 21, 1660. 

139 



140 SOMERSET HOUSE 

gations, and when in 1660 the body of French Protestants 
then holding the chapel was expelled, the event brought not a 
little satisfaction to the less-favoured communities. A peti- 
tion of the French Church " lately meeting in Somerset House 
Chapel, to the King for the grant of a competent portion of 
the Savoy Hospital as a place of worship, instead of 
Somerset House Chapel, where they have lately assembled, 
but which they now readily surrender to the Queen-mother, 
to whom it belongs," ^ was hotly opposed by the general 
body of ministers, elders, and deacons of the French con- 
gregation in London, who appealed for protection and 
confirmation of privileges, and against any other French 
church being permitted to divide and ruin them. This 
second petition goes on to explain that " during the troubles, 
M. d'Espagne, on pretence of preaching at Lady Annan- 
dale's, erected another French church, of which since his 
death MM. Hierosme and Kerhnel are pastors, and 
Cromwell granted them the Chapel at Somerset House, 
which they are now forbidden." 2 We are, however, not 
concerned with the projected reunion of d'Espagne's 
congregation with the general body of the French 
Protestants. The chapel was cleared, and once more the 
voluble Gamache took up his ministry. Concerning the 
use of the chapel and convent by the Protestants during the 
Literregnum he writes : " The magnificent chapel in which 
they (the Capuchins) celebrated the divine sacrifice was, 
alas ! sacrilegiously changed into an infamous meeting-house 
of Huguenots, who pulled down the house wherein we 
dwelt. Some private person obtained permission to build 
another there in its stead. The Queen on her arrival in 
London found that house full and her chapel a scene of 
desolation. She was obliged to repair the latter and to 

^ This document is signed by J. Hierosme and Jean de Kerhnel, 
pastors, and by eight elders. It bears date September 28, 1660. 
^ Also dated September 28, 1660. 



UNDER THE STUARTS 141 

wait till the former was empty in order to lodge us in it. 
While thus waiting some months passed away ; at length the 
whole being repaired and fitted up we began to perform 
divine service in the chapel, to the great consolation of the 
Catholics." 

The Roman establishment was soon reinstated on an 
elaborate scale. Her Majesty's lord almoner was again the 
Abbe Walter Montague (brother of the Earl of Manchester) ; 
her confessor, Father Lambert, a Frenchman. She had 
also a clerk of the closet and a lay brother in attendance. 
Attached to the convent were a warden, seven priests, and 
two lay brothers. They were responsible for daily service 
in the chapel, for sermons every Sunday, holy day and 
during Lent, and for the general supervision and 
encouragement of the Catholics of England. 

Qn her arrival in London ^ Henrietta Maria took up her 
residence at Whitehall, pending the completion of the 
preparations at Somerset House, but her daughters, the 
Princess of Orange, and Henrietta, afterwards the Duchesse 
d'Orleans, appear to have been installed at the latter place 
almost immediately. On December loth the Princess of 
Orange was stricken with small-pox, and the Queen to 
escape infection hurried her darling Henrietta away from 
Somerset House and retired with her to St. James's 
Palace.2 (Evidently her maternal affections were centred 
in the younger child whom she had tended with such loving 
care in Paris.) The Princess of Orange died on Christmas 
Eve, 1660, and was buried at midnight on December 29th. 
Her funeral procession was by torchlight from Somerset 
House to the Abbey, where she was laid in the Stuart vault 
by the side of her brother, the Duke of Gloucester.3 

' November 17, 1660. 

^ Memoires of Henrietta Maria. 

3 We quote from the Memoires of Henrietta Maria : " Small pox seized 
the vitals of the most illustrious Mary, Princess of Aurange, in spight of 
all Art or remedy (though the blooding of her was causelessly, ignorantly 



142 SOMERSET HOUSE 

Not long afterwards yet another of the Stuarts lay dead 
at Somerset House. Elizabeth, Queen of Bohemia, eldest 
daughter of James I,, deceased on February 13, 1662, at 
Leicester House, whence in the early morning of the 17th 
her body was conveyed to the palace in the Strand. The 
same night it was taken by barge to the Abbey, attended by 
Prince Rupert and many nobles. Evelyn notes how " this 
night was buried in Westminster Abbey the Queen of 
Bohemia, after all her sorrows and afflictions being come to 
die in the arms of her nephew the King." ^ 

In January, 1661, Parliament granted Henrietta Maria a 
dowry of ^30,000 per annum as compensation for the loss she 
had sustained at the Rebellion when all her dower-lands were 
seized by the regicides. To this ^30,000 the King promised 
to add an equal sum, making in all ^^ 60,000, conditional 
upon her continued residence in England. It was necessary, 
however, for her first to go to France for the marriage of her 
daughter Henrietta to the Due d'Orleans ; and before leaving 
she rearranged her household and gave orders for extensive 
structural alterations to be effected at Somerset House. 
She embarked at Portsmouth on January 9, 1661, and 
returned to London at the immediate request of the King 
on July 28, 1662. The work at Somerset House being still 
unfinished, she took up her residence at Greenwich Palace. 

In the meantime the Strand was busy with the life 
incidental to great building operations. Designs which 
Inigo Jones had prepared long previously were now being 

taxed) carried her to her grave leaving the whole Court in very great and 
almost disconsolate sadness. She deceased on December 24th, her death 
being ushered in with a sad accident, the oversetting of the Assurance 
frigate then riding at Wolledge. The Princess was buried with a private 
funeral, yet honourable enough the manner thus : About five days after 
her decease the chiefest of the nobility met together in the House ot 
Peers to attend the Royal corps of the Princess, which was brought about 
nine o'clock at night from Somerset House thither, from whence they 
proceeded with the funeral to Henry the Seventh Chapel." 
' Diary, February 17, 1662. 




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UNDER THE STUARTS 143 

carried out, and the work became an engaging subject of 
gossip. The new style of architecture, and the French 
character of some of the fittings, attracted many observers ; 
but, as is usual in the case of a work of art, it was the 
question of cost which bulked largest in the public eye. 
Evelyn notices the inlaid floors of differently coloured 
woods, stating that the idea was now adopted in England 
for the first time, while Pepys, eager to chronicle an item 
of scandal, remarks how " the Queen-Mother hath outrun 
herself in her expenses and is now come to pay very ill or 
run in debt, the money being spent that she received for 
leases." 

Of Jones's designs for these alterations, three dated 1638 
are preserved in the Library of Worcester College, Oxford. 
One of them, marked " not taken," shows a fine elevation 
in three orders — Doric, Ionic, Corinthian — each order 
including two storeys, with a total height to the top of the 
cornice of no feet. Clearly it was originally intended that 
the new buildings should extend along the whole length of 
the river front ; but the design eventually chosen occupied 
a frontage of only 90 feet, and formed no more than the 
central feature of the facade. In possession of the Duke 
of Devonshire is a drawing, dated 1636, for a "chimney- 
piece " for the gallery of Somerset House, which suggests 
that Jones had already at that time been commissioned to 
carry out improvements. Probably it was the Queen's 
desire on the completion of her Chapel to proceed with the 
reconstruction of the river front, but lack of funds and 
the troubles which preluded the Civil War effectually 
hindered her scheme. In 1660, when the idea was revived, 
a considerable curtailment of the earlier plans was adopted. 
The operations even then proceeded but slowly, and in 
1664 they were suspended altogether. 

The extent of the change effected at this time is best seen 
in a comparison of the picture preserved in the Dulwich 



144 SOMERSET HOUSE 

Gallery, which shows the river front prior to 1662, with 
that by KnyjfF, drawn circa 1720. Not only was Inigo 
Jones's design erected for a central feature, but the whole 
frontage to the river appears to have been trimmed and 
remodelled. The gardens were again laid out in the 
Italian style with paved walks and trees planted in parallel 
avenues running to the river. The elevation of the central 
block has been commented upon by a critic familiar with 
the building before it was removed in 1776. " It consists," 
he writes, " of two storeys and in five divisions. First 
storey : an arcade with square rusticated horizontal and 
vertical joints ; in the keystones human heads. Second 
and third storeys : Corinthian pilasters ; windows to second 
storey stand on pedestals, with pediments, pointed and 
circular alternately, supported by scrolls ; they have also 
architrave, frieze and cornice ; windows in the third storey 
square. In the general cornice ornamented modillions, 
eggs and anchors, &c. No other ornaments occur. This 
specimen is to be considered as one of the first performances 
entirely freed from the ornamental and architectural characters 
of James's reign, and possessing the chaste and pure mode of 
design, so manifest in Inigo's later works, and which may 
so justly be called a style of his own ; and though not 
strictly followed after his time, was never surpassed — 
indeed, never equalled." ^ The arcade gave access to a 
gallery, or piazza, as in those days it was more commonly 
called, at the western end of which was a stairway leading 
to the state apartments on the first floor. The facade was 
distinguished by much original beauty, and undoubtedly 
exercised a powerful influence in the architecture of suc- 
ceeding generations. Sir Wilham Chambers followed it 
closely in the Strand frontage of the modern building, and 
its features are badly imitated in the County Fire Office, 
Piccadilly Circus. 

' Gentleman's Magazine. 



UNDER THE STUARTS 145 

Concerning these improvements, there are several allusions 
in the diary of Samuel Pepys. On the 24th of February, 
1664 (Ash Wednesday), he writes in his quaintest vein : 
" To the Queen's chapel where I staid and saw their masse 
till a man came and bid me go out or kneel down : so I 
did go out. And thence to Somerset House, and then into 
the chapel where Monsieur d'Espagne used to preach. But 
now it is made very fine, and was ten times more crowded 
than the Queen's chapel at St. James's, which I wonder at. 
Thence down to the garden at Somerset House, and up and 
down the new building, which in every respect will be 
mighty magnificent and costly." ^ Again : " 21st January, 
1665, Mr. Povy carried me to Somerset House and there 
showed me the Queen-Mother's chamber and closet, most 
beautiful places for furniture and pictures ; and so down 
the great stone stair to the garden, and tried the brave 
echo upon the stairs, which continues a voice so long as the 
singing of three notes, concords, one after another, they all 
three shall sound in consort together a good while most 
pleasantly." But Pepys was far from solitary in his admira- 
tion of the new buildings. Abraham Cowley wrote some 
of his poorest verses on the subject, and published them 
under the title of " the Speech of Her Majesty, the Queen 
Mother's palace upon the Reparation and enlargement of it 
by Her Majesty." 

" Before my gate a street's broad channel goes 
Which still with waves of crowding people flows ; 
And every day there passes by my side 
Up to its Western reach the London tide, 
The spring-tides of the term. My front looks down 
On all the pride and business of the Town. 

And here behold in a long bending row 
How two joint cities make one glorious bow ; 



"^ See also i8th of October, 1664. "At Somerset House I saw the 
Queen's new rooms which are most stately and nobly furnished." 

10 



146 SOMERSET HOUSE 

The midst, the noblest place, possesst by me 
Best to be seen by all and all o'er see ; 
Which way soe'er I turn my joyful eye, 
Here the great court there the rich Town I spy. 
On either side dwells safety and delight 
Wealth on the left, and power upon the right." 

The remaining eight-six lines are merely a continuation 
of this conceit (the Palace loquitur) with interlarded com- 
pliments to the Queen. An anonymous effusion " upon 
Her Majesty's new buildings at Somerset House " made its 
appearance about the same time : 

" Great Queen that does our island bless 
With princes and with palaces ; 
Treated so ill, chased from your throne 
Returning you adorn the town, 
And with a brave revenge do show 
Their glory went and came with you ; 

While peace from hence, and you were gone 
Your houses in that storm o'erthrown. 
Those wounds which civil rage did give, 
At once your pardon and relieve : 

Constant to England in your love, 
As birds are to their wonted grove. 
Though by rude hands these nests are spoiled. 
There, the next spring, again they build : 

Accusing some malignant star, 
Not Britain^ for that fatal war. 
Your kindness banishes your fear, 
Resolv'd to fix for ever here : 

But what new myne this work supplies ? Ml 

Can such a pile from ruins rise ? HI 

This like the first creation shows, 
As if at your command it rose ; 

Frugality, and bounty, too. 
Those differing victims, meet in you ; 
From a confin'd well-manag'd store 
You both imploy, and feed the poor : 
Let forein princes vainly boast 
The rude effects of pride, and cost 
Of vaster fabriques to which they 
Contribute nothing but the pay : 

This by the Oueen her self design'd. 
Gives us a pattern of her mind ; 
The state, and order does proclaim 
The genius of that royal dame 






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UNDER THE STUARTS 147 

Each part with just proportions grac'd, 
And all to rich advantage plac'd, 

That the fair view her window yields, 
The town, the river and the fields 
Entering beneath us we descry 
And wonder how we came so high ; 

She needs no weary steps ascend, 
All seems before her feet to bend 
And here as she was born she lies 
High without taking pains to rise.' 

These lines have been definitely attributed by some 
to Edmund Waller, but in a case of this sort the attribution 
appears of small consequence. 

On re-entering her old home Henrietta Maria is said to 
have exclaimed : " If I had known the temper of the 
English some years past as well as I do now, I had never 
been obliged to quit this house." 2 The rearrangements 
made in her household were of a radical nature. Henry 
Jermyn, Earl of St. Albans, was created Lord Chamberlain 
and Lord Steward, and the old scandal of the Queen's 
relations with him was revived, though, so far as can be 
ascertained, without just foundation. Her Vice Chamberlain 
was De Vautelet ; her chancellor, the famous Sir Kenelm 
Digby ; Master of the Horse, Lord Arundel, of Wardour ; 
Secretary, Sir John Winter ; private Secretary, Abraham 
Cowley, the poet ; Comptroller of the Household, Sir 
Thomas Bond. She appointed four gentlemen-ushers at 
;^I30 per annum, four grooms of the privy chamber at 
^60 per annum, four pages and eight grooms of the great 
presence chamber, two cup-bearers, two carvers, and two 
gentlemen ushers of the great presence chamber, each of the 
last two having ;^I20 salary and " bouche of the court " at 
the same table. The chief lady of the bedchamber was 
Frances Teresa, Duchess of Richmond, a famous beauty of 

' London : Printed for Henry Herringman at the Anchor in the 
Lower Walk in the New Exchange, Anno Dom., 1665. 
^ Granger's Bibliographical History, iii. p. 72. 



148 SOMERSET HOUSE 

the period. Under the Duchess of Richmond, as second 
lady of the bedchamber, was the Lady Newport, and there 
were also four ladies of the privy chamber and eight 
women. Lady Saunderson was the Queen's laundress, and 
Elizabeth, Countess of Guildford, the Chief Housekeeper. 
The latter's appointment was for a period of twenty-one 
years ; but soon after entering upon her duties she advised 
the transfer of '' the Keepership of Denmark, alias Somerset 
House, with court, gardens, tennis court, &c,, to Sir Robert 
Long." I Evidently the office was no sinecure, 

A guard of gentlemen-at-arms, very splendidly equipped, 
and all of good family, was kept in attendance upon the 
Queen at Somerset House. They wore black velvet 
cassocks embroidered with gold and enriched with a gold 
badge ; they carried halberds and waited in lines when her 
Majesty went to her sedan or to the chapel, or when she 
passed to her meals. When she drove out in her coach, 
which was usually drawn by six horses, they acted as a 
guard of honour, riding, with carbine slung to waist, on 
both sides of the road. The chief equerry was Sir 
Edward Wingfield, who controlled the stables (situate in 
Duchy Lane), and had under his care twenty-four horses 
and four coaches. There were likewise on the establish- 
ment twelve footmen, twelve bargemen, four pages of the 
backstairs, and several officers of the pantry, ewry, cellar 
and buttery ; a master of the buckhounds, master of the 
bows, master of the Queen's games, and master of her chapel 
music. Indeed, while she remained at Somerset House, 
Henrietta Maria maintained her court with a gaiety and 
splendour, which was unsurpassed even in the happier days 
of her husband's reign. She seldom moved abroad without 
an escort of the horse guards, a troop of which fine soldiery 
was kept in barracks at Duchy Lane to provide a guard 
for the quadrangle and other approaches to the palace. 
' 8th August, 1664. State Papers Domestic. 




Fhuto'] 

XiitionnI Purtrait CaUcry, 
To face page 1-19. 



UNDER THE STUARTS 149 

Pepys remarks on the 30th of December, 1664, that he 
" visited Ferrers and staid talking with her a good while, 
there being a little proud, ugly, talking lady there that was 
much crying up the Queen-Mother's Court at Somerset 
House above our own Queen's ; there being before her 
no allowance of laughing and the mirth that is at the 
other's ; and indeed it is observed that the greatest 
Court nowadays is there." But despite this magnificence, 
Henrietta Maria had long given up all show in her personal 
attire ; in fact, she never left off the garb of mourning 
which she had assumed on the death of Charles. 

At the time of her return to Somerset House the young 
king, Charles II., was newly married to Catherine of 
Braganza, Between his Court at Whitehall and that of 
Henrietta Maria at Somerset House, there was a constant 
interchange of visits. Catherine, a simple, unsophisticated 
girl, still unsuspicious of Charles's character, and probably 
incapable of ever quite understanding him, was happy in 
her surroundings ; and the Queen-Mother, graceful, tactful, 
designing, was too much a woman of the world to dis- 
illusion her. In a racy passage of Pepy's diary we catch 
a glimpse of both in the afternoon of Sunday, the 
7th of September, 1662, enjoying the gay company of 
Henrietta Maria's Court : — " Meeting Mr. Pierce, the 
Chyrurgeon, he took me into Somerset House, and there 
carried me into the Queen-Mother's presence chamber, 
where she was with our Queen sitting on her left hand, 
whom I never did see before ; and though she be not very 
charming, yet she hath a good modest and innocent look, 
which is pleasing. Here I also saw Madame Castlemaine, 
and, which pleased me most, Mr. Crofts, the King's bastard, 
a most pretty spark of about fifteen years old, who, I per- 
ceive, do hang much upon my lady Castlemaine and is 
always with her ; and, I hear, the queens both are mighty 
kind to him. By and by in comes the King, and anon the 



160 SOMERSET HOUSE 

Duke and his Duchess ; so that they, being altogether, was 
such a sight as I never could almost have happened to see 
with so much ease and leisure. They staid till it was dark, 
and then went away ; the King and his Queen and my Lady 
Castlemaine and young Crofts in one coach and the rest in 
other coaches. Here were great store of great ladies, but 
few handsome. The King and Oueen were very merry, 
and he would have made the Queen-Mother believe that his 
Queen was with child, and said that she said so. And the 
young Queen answered, " You lye," which was the first 
English word that I ever heard her say : which made the 
King good sport ; and he would have made her say in 
English, ' Confess and be hanged.' " 

This sprightly description truthfully suggests the life 
which, at the return of Henrietta Maria to this country, 
gathered about her court in the Strand. A comparison of 
the personalities of the two queens sufficiently confirms 
Pepys's comparison of the households : the one past middle 
age, good looking, self-assertive, witty, knowing well the 
way of the world, and retaining, by sheer personal force, the 
attention which in her youth her beauty had commanded ; 
the other little more than a girl, inexperienced, unattractive, 
retiring, and bred to the conventions of a common domes- 
ticity. It is small wonder that in the role of Queen, 
Catherine should have suffered a partial eclipse. 

The Queen Dowager had not been cured of her passion 
for intrigue by the long years of hardship and privation she 
had suffered mainly in consequence of it ; and though she 
no longer interfered in the general politics of the State her 
championship of the Roman faith was actively pursued, and 
the private affairs of members of her household furnished 
many fruitful opportunities for her curiosity. Scandal was 
rife concerning her relations with the Earl of St. Albans, 
who had followed her, when, in 1 644, she sought refuge in 
France ; and it is more than probable that she was impli- 



UNDER THE STUARTS 151 

cated in the disgraceful plot to force marriage upon the 
Duke of Lennox's daughter. 

Pepys observes that *' a daughter of the Duke of Lennox 
was, by force, going to be married the other day at Somerset 
House to Harry Jermyn (son of the Earl of St. Albans) ; 
but she got away and ran to the King, and he says he will 
protect her. She is, it seems, very near akin to the King. 
Such mad doings there are every day among them ! " ^ To 
escape the designing hands of the Queen-Mother and her 
unscrupulous courtier by an appeal to the better sympathies 
of her son was a desperate course to choose. But Charles IL, 
despite his self-indulgence, was possessed of generous 
instincts, and to these the Duke of Lennox's daughter did 
not appeal in vain. 

Although the elaborate schemes which the Queen- 
Mother had set on foot point to her intention of spending 
the remaining years of her life in this country, at Mid- 
summer, 1665, ^^^ ^^^^ Somerset House for France, and 
never again set foot on English soil. Pepys gives this 
explanation of her sudden departure : "By water to White- 
hall, where the Court is full of waggons and people ready to 
go out of town. This end of the town every day grows 
very bad with the Plague. . . . Home, calling at Somerset 
House, where all were packing up, too ; the Queen-Mother 
setting out for France this day, to drink the Bourbon waters 
this year, she being in a consumption, and intends not to 
come till winter come twelvemonths." ~ Pere Gamache names 
the 24th June as the date of her departure, and states that 
she was accompanied by the King, Queen Catherine and 
the lords and ladies of the household, who sailed with them 
fifteen leagues, that is presumably, to the buoy at the Nore. 

Her departure upon the realisation of her scheme for the 
improvement of Somerset House attracted a good deal 

^ Diary, 23rd February, 1664. 
' Diary, 29th June, 1665. 



152 SOMERSET HOUSE 

of comment. Ostensibly, as Pepys observes, she left to 
drink the Bourbon waters and to escape the Plague, but it is 
possible she had an even stronger motive in her desire to 
visit her youngest daughter, the Duchesse d'Orleans, who 
during the sad years of her exile had been her sole com- 
panion. Such reasons were doubtless fortified by the decline 
of her influence at her son's Court, and an inbred dislike of 
the Protestants. Moreover, her health was failing. Instead 
of drinking the Bourbon waters she retired to her chateau 
at Colombes, outside Paris, and there, on the 31st August, 
1669, took an opiate by order of her physician and died 
sleeping. She was buried in the church of St. Denis, near 
Paris, in the burying place of the kings of France. 

Soon after her departure from Somerset House the 
Plague spread so rapidly that five thousand persons perished 
of it in a single week. Alarmed by the news, and, 
fearing lest the crowds which flocked to the chapel might 
carry infection thither, she ordered the building to be 
closed. But the Capuchins in charge begged her not to 
prevent them in the fulfilment of their duty ; and *' at this 
appeal," says Gamache, " the Queen overcame her fears of 
infection, and, moreover, disbursed vast sums in charity by 
the hands of the Capuchins of Somerset House to alleviate 
the appalling miseries with which the London poor were 
afflicted in those days of horror." Two of the Capuchins 
fell victims to the Plague while pursuing their devoted 
labours in the infected districts. 

From this time the palace was occupied by noblemen and 
ladies of the Court, whom the King desired to accommo- 
date. The Earl of St. Albans and Dr. Godden, Queen 
Catherine's chaplain, held suites of apartments there, and so 
did the Duchess of Richmond, so famous for her beauty and 
her virtue. 

Writing on the 26th of March, 1668, Pepys observes : — 
*' This noon, from Mrs. Williams's, my Lord Brouncker sent 



UNDER THE STUARTS 153 

to Somerset House to hear how the Duchess of Richmond 
do ; and word was brought him that she is pretty well, but 
mighty full of the small-pox, by which all do conclude she 
will be wholly spoiled, which is the greatest instance of the 
uncertainty of beauty that could be in this age ; but then 
she hath had the benefit of it to be first married, and to 
have kept it so long under the greatest temptations in the 
world from a king, and yet without the least imputation." 
The interest of Pepys in this event is explained in another 
passage of his diary : " Above all Mrs. Stewart (as the 
Duchess of Richmond then was), . . . with her hat cocked 
and a red plume, with her sweet eye, little Roman nose, 
and excellent taille, is now the greatest beauty I ever saw, I 
think, in my life." Indeed, to judge by the list of the 
hopeless passions which her beauty inspired, this lady must 
have been possessed of extraordinary personal charm. 
While still a child Louis XIV. of France begged that she 
might be left as an ornament to his Court. But Henrietta 
Maria, to whose suite she was attached, determined to send 
her away to England, and on January 2, 1663, procured 
for the young beauty, la plus jolie fille du monde^ a letter of 
introduction to Charles II. The Great Louis accordingly 
contented himself with bestowing upon her the farewell gift 
of a jewel, and " la belle Stewart " left Paris for England. 
The outcome of this arrangement is described by Pepys in 
his diary for the 6th of November, 1663, where he tells how 
" My Lord (the Earl of Sandwich) ... Sir H. Bennet, 
the Duke of Buckingham and his Duchess, was of a com- 
mittee with somebody else for the getting of Mrs. Stewart 
for the King ; but that she proves a cunning slut, and is 
advised at Somerset House by the Queen-Mother, and by 
her mother, and so all the plot is spoiled and the whole 
committee broke, Mr. Montague and the Duke of Buck- 
ingham fallen apieces, the Duchess going to a nunnery." 
So disastrous was the effect of the virtue of Frances Teresa 



154 SOMERSET HOUSE 

Stewart, who at the time was but fifteen years old. It is 
said that Charles's feeling for this delightful child ap- 
proached nearer to what may be called love than any other 
of his attachments. But he was for a long time unsuc- 
cessful in his attentions, and at length seemed to have lost 
the day to the Duke of Richmond ; for on a wild night in 
March, 1667, Miss Stewart escaped from her rooms at 
Whitehall, joined the duke at the " Beare by London 
Bridge," and fled with him into Kent, where they married. 
When the news reached Charles's ears he was beside him- 
self with rage, and to add to his annoyance the young 
Duchess returned him all the jewels she had received at his 
hands. But the estrangement was of short duration. At the 
intercession of the Queen (who preferred "la belle Stewart" 
to any other of her husband's favourites), she was restored 
to her position at Court, and Charles became more assiduous 
in his attentions than before. While she lay at Somerset 
House suffering from small-pox, Charles, in the ardour of 
his attachment, forgot the risk of infection and paid her 
several visits. It seems that, to the wife of a nobleman 
nearly allied to the throne, a canon of the Court ritual 
sanctioned these visits and forbade either the Duke or the 
Duchess herself to refuse the King admission to the sick 
chamber. Although her illness left the Duchess with 
injured eyes and an impaired beauty, she was still " la belle 
Stewart," and able to inspire Charles with an ever- 
increasing passion. His conduct often lacked even the 
specious sanction of Court etiquette, witness a characteristic 
anecdote of Pepys. " Pierce tells me, too," he writes 
" that since my lord Drummond's coming over the King 
begins to be mightly reclaimed, and sups every night 
with great pleasure with the Queen ; and yet, it seems, 
he is mighty hot upon the Duchess of Richmond ; inso- 
much that, upon Sunday was se'nnight, at night, after 
he had ordered his guards and coach to be ready to carry 




P'loto] Frances Teresa, Duchess of Rkhmoxd. ISpoonr 

From tJie jiainting by Sir Peter Lely, at Hampton Court. 
To face page 154. 



UNDER THE STUARTS 155 

him to the park, he did on a sudden take a pair of oars, and 
all alone, or but one with him, go to Somerset House, and 
there, the garden door not being open, himself clambered 
over the wall to make a visit to her, which is a horrid 
shame ! " i but an interesting sidelight on the character or 
Charles. Whether this supreme mark of devotion on the 
part of the Merry Monarch finally secured him in the 
Duchess's favour, no account remai-ns ; it is generally thought 
not, though soon after this date the Duke of Richmond 
disappeared from London, first into Scotland, and then, as 
ambassador, to Denmark, where he died ; while the Duchess 
for many years remained in attendance at Court. ^ 

The palace is next associated with Monck, Duke of 
Albemarle, the great military commander of the Restora- 
tion. At his death on the 3rd of January, 1670, the 
King, mindful, no doubt, of the day he landed at Dover 
and was received by the great soldier, whom he kissed and 
called his " father," assumed responsibility for the funeral 
arrangements and announced his intention to bear the entire 
expense of the obsequies. The burial was long delayed in 
consequence. " It is almost three months," wrote Andrew 
Marvell on the 21st of March, "and yet he lies in the 
dark (at Somerset House) unburied and no talk of him." 
According to a Life of Monck, published soon after his 
decease, " his body was carried to Somerset House and 
there exposed with a Royal State and Attendance for many 

^ Diary, 19th May, 1668. 

^ Of the great beauty of the Duchess of Richmond there seems to 
have been but one opinion. " Her features were faultless and regular, 
her complexion dazzling, her hair fair and luxuriant. Her figure, which 
rose above the common height, was well proportioned, though slender. 
She danced, walked, dressed with perfect elegance, and sat her horse 
with peculiar grace. To her Parisian education she owed her admirable 
air de parure. Her childish disposition only enhanced her charm, and 
she was never known to speak ill of anyone." Several portraits preserve 
the memory of her loveliness, notably that by Lely, at Hampton Court, 
At the King's request she sat for the emblematic figure of Britannia, which 
distinguishes the English penny. 



156 SOMERSET HOUSE 

weeks, and then conducted to Westminster with as much 
glory and pomp as love, art, and cost could bestow, 
there in his Majesty's chappel-royal in the quire, lodged 
in the greatest state and his body entombed among the 
monuments of the Kings and Queens of this realm, in 
Henry the Seventh's chappel, the sacred repository of the 
ashes of his Majesty's royal ancestors." 

Again, two years later, the Palace was the scene of yet 
another pageant, that of the funeral of the Earl of Sand- 
wich, Admiral of the Fleet, and hero of the diary of 
Samuel Pepys. Albemarle and Sandwich, who thus follow 
one another through the portals of Somerset House to a 
grave in the Abbey, were bitterly opposed to one another in 
life. Pepys tells how " my lord (Sandwich) was willing to 
do all the honour in the world to Monck . . . though he 
will many times express his thoughts of him to be but a 
thick-skulled fool " ; and this ill-feeling became intensified 
as time went on. Sandwich perished at sea. His flagship, 
being successfully grappled by a fireship in the Dutch war 
of 1672, blew up with the loss of all on board. Sandwich's 
body was found floating in the sea near Harwich some 
days later, and was taken up, embalmed, and brought to 
Greenwich. Thence it was removed to Somerset House by 
water, and after lying there in state was buried at West- 
minster on the 3rd of July, 1672. In Evelyn's Diary of 
that date is the note, " To Lord Sandwich's funeral, which 
was by water to Westminster in solemn pomp." 

Under date the 19th of July, 1672, Evelyn writes: 
" After dinner went to the christening of Sir Samuel 
Tuke's son, Charles, at Somerset House by a popish priest 
and many odd ceremonies. The godfathers were the King 
and Lord Arundel of Wardour, and godmother the 
Countess of Huntingdon." Tuke was a man who stood 
high in the favour of King Charles IL He enjoyed some 
fame as a playwright. During the early years of the reign 



UNDER THE STUARTS 167 

he was engaged in several important missions, and at the 
time of his son's christening occupied apartments at 
Somerset House. He was a staunch Catholic, and mar- 
ried Mary Sheldon, " one of the dressers belonging to 
Queen Catherine." Speaking of him Pepys observes : " I 
do find him I think a little conceited, but a man of very 
fine discourse as any I ever heard almost." He died at 
Somerset House on the 26th of January, 1674, and was 
buried in the Chapel. 

His wife appears to have continued to live at the 
palace, and about this time also the Queen, Catherine 
of Braganza, began to occupy the State Apartments as 
an occasional residence. Doubtless Lady Tuke was still 
in attendance as " one of the dressers," and must have 
found in the Roman Catholic household a congenial 
environment. 

Under Catherine a regular establishment of the Roman 
Catholic order was maintained in the Chapel, and the Queen 
frequently journeyed from one or another of her outlying 
palaces specially to be present at the service there. The 
arrangements differed but little from those in force during 
the lifetime of Henrietta Maria, the labours of the mis- 
sionary monks attached to the convent being in no wise 
diminished. 

To this period belongs the association of Matthew Locke 
with the musical services of the Chapel. Locke became 
*' Composer in ordinary to His Majesty " as early as 1661, 
and in 1674 was receiving ^^40 a year as "one of the 
gentlemen of his Majesty's musick," His appointment 
as Organist to Queen Catherine at Somerset House Chapel 
dates from the year 1668. While holding that post he 
composed many of his most notable works. His musical 
dialogue between Neptune and Apollo, on the death of the 
Earl of Sandwich, may have been written while the Earl's 
body lay at Somerset House awaiting burial. Roger North, 



158 SOMERSET HOUSE 

in his Memoirs of Mustek, says that " Locke was organist at 
Somerset House Chapel as long as he lived, but the Italian 
masters that served there did not approve of his manner of 
play, but must be attended by more polite hands ; and one 
while one Sabancino, and afterwards Sig. Baptista Draghi 
used the great organ, and Locke (who must not be turned 
out of his place, nor the execution) had a small chamber- 
organ by, on which he performed with them the same 
services." But if as an organist Locke failed to please the 
fastidious Italians, as a composer he enjoyed a great and 
well-merited reputation. Only Purcell among the musicians 
of the time surpassed him in originality and poetic force. 
Even in our own day to come by accident upon a dance 
measure or an anthem by Matthew Locke makes life the 
richer by a novel charm. 

A document printed in 1672 gives : " A Summary Rela- 
tion of the Holy Congregation of our B. Lady of Succour, 
Erected in the Kingdom of New Granada ; Approved by 
His Holiness Pope Innocent the X., and now newly 
instituted in Her Majesties Royal Chappel at Somerset 
House." This curious pamphlet, after granting indulgences 
to members of the existing congregation, proceeds : " And 
that the benefit thereof may be extended also to the Faithful 
in this Kingdom, Commission is given to one of the 
Religious Order of Saint Francis at Her Majesties Chappel 
in Somerset House to receive the names of such as desire to 
be of this Holy Congregation." It is evident that the 
establishment was not guilty of inactivity, and the propa- 
ganda which they vigorously carried on no doubt resulted 
in many of the " Faithful in this Kingdom " joining their 
ranks. At any rate, the congregation of Somerset House 
Chapel figured largely in the agitation which followed the 
discovery of the " Popish Plot." 

The Catholic revival, if such it may be termed, which 
drew encouragement from the attitude adopted by 



m 



UNDER THE STUARTS 159 

Charles II. in the negotiations preceding the Peace of 
Nimeguen (July, 1678) aroused the public mind to sus- 
picions of his religious integrity when Titus Oates, seizing 
the opportunity, published his invention of the " Popish 
Plot." This adventurer declared that he had been entrusted 
with letters which disclosed the Jesuit plans for encouraging 
insurrectionary movements in Ireland and Scotland while 
in England the King was being assassinated to make way for 
the papist Duke of York. Circumstances lent colour to 
the story, which was brought to the notice of Charles, 
without, however, exciting his apprehension. But Oates 
persisted in his agitation, and in September made depositions 
on oath before Sir Edmund Berry Godfrey, a London magis- 
trate. These were laid before the Privy Council, and the 
suspicion which had been aroused quickly grew to alarm. 
Godfrey, according to Burnet the historian of the period, 
became " apprehensive and reserved," but declined the 
advice of friends who, fearing the vengeance of the Papists, 
would not have had him go about unattended. 

On Saturday morning, the 12th of October, 1678, how- 
ever, he left his house at Charing Cross about nine o'clock, 
was seen afterwards in St. Marylebone, and about noon 
called on one of the churchwardens of St. Martin's-in-the- 
Fields ; then, according to one account, he was observed in 
the Strand between St. Clement Danes Church and Somerset 
House. He did not return home, and his servants insti- 
tuted a search. On the following Thursday his body was 
found in a ditch on the south side of Primrose Hill lying 
face downwards and transfixed by his own sword. His 
money and jewellery were found untouched, his pocket- 
book and lace cravat alone being removed. At the inquest 
the surgeons alleged that marks about the neck showed that 
Godfrey died of suffocation and was stabbed after death. 
Other witnesses showed that the body was not in the ditch 
on the preceding Tuesday, and that it must have been 



160 SOMERSET HOUSE 

placed there when dead. A verdict of wilful murder 
against some person or persons unknown was returned, and 
a proclamation was issued offering a reward of ^500 for the 
discovery of the culprits. 

The crime was laid at the door of the Roman Catholic 
clergy, and popular indignation against papists increased 
greatly. A Parliamentary Committee under the presidency 
of Shaftesbury sat to investigate Gates's statements and 
Godfrey's murder. Bedloe, one of Gates's confederates, 
gave evidence before the Committee, and boldly attributed 
the murder to the Queen's Popish servants. Gn Novem- 
ber 8, 1678, Somerset House was searched for papists 
connected with the plot, and soon Gates, taking advantage 
of the secluded manner in which the Queen was living in 
that residence, outstripped Bedloe by accusing Catherine 
herself of a design to poison the King. He deposed that 
he had accompanied a party of Jesuit priests one day in 
August to Somerset House, and there had heard through a 
partly- open door the Queen protesting that she would no 
longer suffer indignities to her bed (the Duchess of Ports- 
mouth was occupying the Queen's place at Whitehall), and 
would not be content till she procured the death of her 
husband and the triumph of the Roman Catholic faith. 
But the subsequent cross-examination demonstrated his 
entire ignorance of the internal arrangements of Somerset 
House and the impossibility of his having heard any such 
conversation. Bedloe, however, came forward with corro- 
borative testimony of an interview between Catherine and 
some French priests in the gallery of the Chapel. Sir 
George Wakeman, the Queen's physician, was to prepare 
the poison, Catherine herself to administer it. Gn the 
25th of November Gates and Bedloe swore to their deposi- 
tions at the bar of the House of Commons, and the day 
afterwards repeated their statements to the House of Peers. 
But at the trial of Wakeman, which followed. Gates 



UNDER THE STUARTS 161 

broke down under a searching interrogatory and the 
prisoner was acquitted, and with him, of course, the Queen 
herself. 

This event took place on the i8th of July, 1679, and 
Evelyn in his diary for that date notes : "I went early to 
Old Baily Sessions House to the famous trial of Sir George 
Wakeman, one of the Queen's Physicians, and three Bene- 
dictine monks (William Marshal, William Rumley, and 
James Corker) ; the first (whom I was well acquainted with, 
and take to be a worthy gentleman abhorring such a fact) 
for intending to poison the King ; the others as accomplices 
to carry on the plot to subvert the Government and intro- 
duce Popery. The Bench was crowded with the Judges, 
Lord Mayor, Justices, and innumerable spectators. The 
chief accusers were Dr. Oates (as he called himself) and one 
Bedlow, a man of inferior note. Their testimonies were 
not so pregnant, and I fear much of it from hearsay, but 
swearing positively to some particulars which drew sus- 
picions upon the truth ; nor did circumstances so agree as 
to give either the Bench or Jury so entire satisfaction as was 
expected. After therefore a long and tedious trial of nine 
hours, the Jury brought them in not guilty, to the extra- 
ordinary triumph of the Papists, and without sufficient 
disadvantage and reflections on witnesses, especially Oates 
and Bedlow. . . . The sessions ended I dined, or rather 
supped (so late it was), with the Judges in the large room 
annexed to the place, and so returned home. Though it 
was not my custom or delight to be often present at any 
capital trials, we having them commonly so exactly published 
by those who take them in shorthand, yet I was inclined to 
be at this signal one, that by the ocular view of the carriages 
and the circumstances of the managers and parties con- 
cerned I might inform myself and regulate my opinion of a 
cause that had so alarmed the whole nation." 

A more particular account of the circumstances imme- 

11 



162 SOMERSET HOUSE 

diately attending the murder of Sir Edmund Berry Godfrey 
was, however, elicited from one Miles Prance, a Roman 
Catholic silversmith, who at various times had worked in the 
Queen's chapel at Somerset House ; but it is of doubtful 
authenticity, like so many other details of this amazing 
conspiracy. Referring to the arrest of Prance, Anne 
Countess of Sunderland, in a letter to John Evelyn, ^ writes : 
" On Monday they obtained a summons from Secretary 
Williamson to search Somerset House, where they found 
all the people save one that he had told them, and seized 
them. This made a great noise yesterday ; and this fellow, 
who is a silversmith, and used to clean the plate of the 
Queen's chapel, was brought before the King and Council, 
and upon search they are now satisfied that the murder was 
done at Somerset House. The King himself begins to 
believe it ; my lord Bellasis is still named to be the chief 
in it, by this fellow too ; several other very weighty circum- 
stances he told, and several other persons he has named in 
private to a Committee of the House of Commons last 
night, who were writing what he said two hours at the 
prison. One thing more I must not omit, which is said, 
that in the search at Somerset House after the men this 
fellow accused they found between fifty and sixty Irish and 
other priests, but not having a warrant to seize them, they 
could not." According to Prance, who had been arrested 
as a Catholic conspirator, and confessed only after much 
torture and cross-examination, certain Catholic priests 
decided upon Godfrey's murder on account of his strong 
Protestantism and the influence he had granted in favour of 
Titus Oates. They and their associates followed Godfrey's 
movements for many days, until, on the fatal Saturday, he 
was lured into the courtyard of Somerset House, where the 
Queen was in residence, on the pretext that two of her 
servants were fighting there. The murderers were lying 
' Dated December 25, 1678. 



UNDER THE STUARTS 163 

in wait, and straightway he was strangled, in the presence 
of three priests, by Robert Green, cushionman in the 
chapel, Laurence Hill, servant to Dr. Thomas Godden, 
treasurer of the chapel, and Henry Berry, porter of Somerset 
House. Meanwhile Prance himself watched one of the 
gates to prevent interference. The body was kept at 
Somerset House in the apartments of Dr. Godden, which, 
as chaplain and preceptor to the Queen, he had occupied 
since her arrival in 1661, till the following Wednesday 
night, when it was carried in a sedan chair to Primrose 
Hill, and there disposed as it was found on the day 
afterwards. Prance declared that he afterwards attended 
a meeting of Jesuits and priests at Bow, where the foul 
deed was celebrated in a carousal. Green, Hill, and Berry 
were at once arrested ; Dr. Godden escaped to Paris. But 
before his trial Prance recanted the story, only to reassert 
its truth a few days later. At the trial he swore to his 
original statement, and Bedloe, appearing to corroborate 
it, deposed further that offers of money had been made to 
him by Lefaire, Pritchard, and other priests of the chapel 
at Somerset House to entice him into the crime. His 
allegations did not agree in detail with Prance's statement ; 
but one of Godfrey's servants testified that Hill and Green 
had both called with messages at her master's house prior to 
the murder, and a conviction was the result. Green and 
Hill, both Roman Catholics, were hanged at Tyburn on the 
2ist of February, 1679, and Berry, in consideration of his 
Protestantism, was granted a week's respite. 

The populace was satisfied with this show of expiation. 
Primrose Hill, which had once been known as Greenbury 
Hill, again bore that name in reference to the supposed 
murderers, while Somerset House was nicknamed Godfrey 
Hall. 

But the truth about the murder, which at the time 
aroused so much interest and appeared so significant, is 



164 SOMERSET HOUSE 

unknown to this day. Prance's story was finally retracted 
in 1686, when he pleaded guilty to perjury in having con- 
cocted the whole of his evidence. He suffered for his guilt 
by paying a fine of ;^ioo, standing in the pillory, and being 
whipped at the cart's tail from Newgate to Tyburn. The 
most probable explanation of the mystery is that Gates and 
his confederates caused Godfrey to be murdered in order 
to give colour to their allegations against the Queen and her 
household and to excite popular opinion in their own favour. 
But their roguery was eventually well requited, and the 
work of the Papists at Somerset House allowed for a while 
to proceed. 

In this imbroglio the only happy incident was the 
renewal of Charles's attachment to Catherine — simple, 
domestic Catherine — resulting in her return to Whitehall. 
Once before, during a severe illness of the Queen, Charles 
had demonstrated, by his anxiety for her recovery, that 
his character was not devoid of tender feeling for the 
sufferings of others ; and now, while Catherine was held up 
to public obloquy and went in danger of losing her life for 
complicity in the " Plot," Charles stood by her side. " The 
Queen is now a mistress," wrote Lady Sunderland at the time, 
" the passion her spouse has for her is so great." Nevertheless 
for several years Catherine continued to be involved in 
the inventions and recriminations of politico-religious adven- 
turers ; but, as if to reward her for patient endurance of 
so much wretchedness, she had the happiness of knowing 
that her husband died in the faith she had always professed. 
It is recorded by Evelyn that on his deathbed Charles 
received a message from the Queen asking his forgiveness 
if at any time she had offended him ; and in another account 
we read his reply : " Alas ! poor woman, she beg my pardon ! 
I beg hers with all my heart." 

Charles's death took place on the 6th of February, 1685. 
Catherine's grief at the event was extreme. She received 



UNDER THE STUARTS 165 

visits of condolence on a bed of mourning, in a room but 
faintly illuminated by burning tapers. The new king 
treated her with the greatest kindness, and permitted her 
to retain for two months the apartments she had occupied 
as Queen Consort at Whitehall. Then she removed to 
Somerset House, which she retained in her right of Queen 
Dowager, and, except during certain periods spent in her 
convent house at Hammersmith, she there passed the re- 
mainder of her life in England. Her favourite chaplain, 
Dr. Godden, who had been in exile since the false testimony 
of Prance involved him with the murderers of Sir Edmund 
Berry Godfrey, now returned to her service, and was rein- 
stated in his old office. In 1686 A Sermon of the Nativity 
of our Lord^ preached before the ^ueen Dowager at Somerset 
House, was issued in his name. He died in November, 1688, 
while the nation was in the throes of the Revolution, and 
was buried on December ist in the vault under the chapel. 

Queen Catherine lived in great privacy during the short 
reign of James II., devoting herself mainly to the observances 
of her faith. Pictures of her life at this period describe her 
as miserable and neglected, continually seeking the solace of 
her religion and occupying her leisure with music and 
games of cards. 

During 1677 the Prince of Orange, afterwards William III. 
of England, resided at Somerset House for a considerable 
time, both before and after his marriage with the Princess 
Mary. 

At his landing in 1689, Catherine comported herself 
with great reserve. The passions of the rabble had been 
excited against persons of her religion ; but she withstood 
the storm and remained quietly at Somerset House, while 
her Lord Chamberlain, Feversham, exerted himself in the 
cause of James II. And James, it seems, was so well 
satisfied with her honourable and conscientious behaviour 
in the time of his distress, that on being brought back 



166 SOMERSET HOUSE 

to London (December i8, 1688) after his first flight, 
he stopped at Somerset House to confer with her before 
proceeding to Whitehall. In this matter she must have 
acted with great discretion, inasmuch as her personal re- 
lations with William do not appear to have been dis- 
turbed. But the new King was suspicious of Feversham, 
whose Jacobin sympathies were pronounced, and who had 
carried from James as he fled the country an injudicious 
message to William at Windsor. Accordingly, Feversham 
was arrested, but a fortnight later Catherine obtained 
his release by explaining that she was unable to play her 
favourite game of basset without her Lord Chamberlain 
to keep the bank. In July, 1689, a bill for limiting the 
number of the Queen's popish servants to eighteen was 
rejected by the Lords ; and on the whole the attitude 
of King William continued to be friendly. In June, 
1690, however, two days before he left London for Ireland, 
William sent Lord Nottingham to acquaint Catherine 
*' that it was observed there were great meetings and 
caballings against his government at her residence at 
Somerset House, and that he therefore desired that her 
majesty would please leave the town, and take up her 
abode either at Windsor or Audley End." The Queen, 
astonished by this message, replied that " her earnest desire 
was to quit his territories altogether for Portugal, if he 
would but have ships appointed for her voyage ; as it was, 
she did not intend to go out of her house which was her 
own by treaty." To this spirited response, his Majesty 
wrote in a complimentary strain and bade her not think of 
removing. During his absence in Ireland, however, some 
unpleasantness occurred between Catherine and Queen 
Mary on the ground that a prayer for the success of the 
Irish campaign was omitted from the service in the Savoy 
Chapel, which was under Catherine's jurisdiction and used 
by the Protestants of her household. This appears to have 



UNDER THE STUARTS 



167 



rekindled the widowed Queen's desire to leave England. 
But her departure was delayed by the difficulty of securing 
an escort ; and in the meantime the King visited her, 
showing a greater sense of humour than is usually allowed 
him, by inquiring *' why she was not playing basset that 
night " — a sly reference to the plea in her petition for the 
release of Feversham. At last, on the 30th of March, 
1692, she quitted Somerset House for Portugal. We have a 
picture of her going in a passage of the Gentleman s Journal 
for 1692 : *' The Queen Dowager hath finally left Somerset 
House and is gone for Dover in order to embark for 
Calais ; she was saluted by the guns on the Tower as she 
passed over the Bridge ; and a numerous body of coaches 
with persons of quality of both sexes bore her Majesty 
company out of Town." 




[Mejal struck to comnjemoralo Uie Wmder of Sir E. Godfrey.] 



CHAPTER IV 

OLD SOMERSET HOUSE IN THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY 

BEFORE leaving England Catherine confided her 
palace of Somerset House to the keeping of Lewis de 
Duras, Earl of Feversham, who accordingly passed under 
the sobriquet of King-dowager. The Queen had not been 
long out of the country, however, when the danger of a 
French invasion seemed imminent, and Feversham being 
looked upon as an adherent of the exiled King James II. 
was requested to retire to Holland till peace should be 
again assured. This he stoutly declined to do, claiming his 
right as a peer and a subject to remain in residence at 
Somerset House. The order does not appear to have been 
insisted upon as regards Feversham himself, but in May 
of the same year (1692) a warrant was issued " to William 
Sutton or any other messenger in ordinary to search the 
lodgings of Dr. Robert Lightfoot in Somerset House for 
suspicious persons and having found them to apprehend 
them on suspicion of high treason and bring them to be 
examined." What became of the suspicious persons thus 
confidently located is left to conjecture, but it is evident 
from the temper of the note that Somerset House was still 
regarded as a den of mischief-makers, the plague-spot of 
the English political world. 

Although the Palace would not, in strictness, revert to 
the Crown until Catherine's death, the Government under- 

168 



IN THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY 169 

took in 1694 to put the building thoroughly in repair for the 
accommodation of the poorer nobility. Like the Hampton 
Court of our day the Somerset House of that day became, 
as Churchill has it, " a mere lodging pen." ^ Persons 
holding official positions or having sufficient interest at Court 
to obtain the privilege of occupying free apartments were 
now the principal residents. Among those living there 
in 1708 were the Earl of Feversham, the Countess of 
Fingall and Lady Arlington, the widow of Secretary Bennett. 
The state apartments were, however, reserved for the 
entertainment of foreign ambassadors and for other public 
purposes ; and the palace continued to be kept as a royal 
house, having two sentinels at its gate, a porter, a house- 
keeper, a chaplain, and a lay reader. As an instance of the 
appropriation of the building to the lodging of persons of 
influence, we have a letter dated October, 1709, from Queen 
Anne to the Duchess of Marlborough : " I have not yet 
so perfect an account of Somerset House as I would have," 
writes her Majesty, " which is the reason I have not 
said anything concerning poor Mrs. Howe ; but I shall 
be able in a few days to let you know what lodgings she can 
have." In 17 12 the Duke d'Aumont occupied apartments 
in the building, and during his stay gave a grand mas- 
querade to six hundred people ; and the Dutch ambassadors 
Van Duivenvorde and Van Booselen were entertained there 
after their public entry into London in 17 14. 

In connection with the repairs effected in 1694, Sir 
Christopher Wren, then engaged in constructing the dome 

' See The Ghost, 1762 :— 

"They passed that building which of old 
(3ueen-mothers was designed to hold ; 
At present a mere lodging pen, 
A palace turned into a den ; 
To barracks turned, and soldiers tread 
Where dowagers have laid their head." 



170 SOMERSET HOUSE 

of St. Paul's, was called in to make a complete survey of the 
fabric and site. He submitted a report to the Lords of the 
Treasury setting forth various defects and encroachments, 
and recommending their Lordships to deal with them. 
Probably as the result of this investigation, certain property 
appertaining to the Crown was granted to Charles Sackville, 
Earl of Dorset, courtier and poet, Lord Chamberlain to 
William III. from 1689 to 1697 ; for, some thirty years 
later, after another inquiry. Wren's successor in the office 
of Surveyor-General reported to the Lords of the Treasury 
that "in 1694 King William and Queen Mary, by letters 
patent, granted to the Earl of Dorset the inheritance ot 
thirty-two tenements standing on several pieces of ground 
heretofore part of the lands belonging to Somerset House 
and adjoining the palace, the greatest part of which front 
the Strand." According to some writers, the buildings 
here referred to were disposed of in the time of Cromwell, 
but it is more likely that the whole of the property 
comprised in the Somerset House estate came back to the 
hands of the Crown at the Restoration. At any rate this 
gift to the Earl of Dorset must rank among the misfortunes 
of William's reign. Had it not been made, the site avail- 
able for the erection of the modern building would not have 
had the disadvantage of so short a frontage to the Strand, 
and London would thus have gained for her most fre- 
quented street a large and imposing edifice. 

A plan of Somerset House as it existed in 1706, 
shows that the main building was grouped round a quad- 
rangle called the " Upper Court " next the Strand. In 
the southern front of this quadrangle were the Guard 
Chamber, with a waiting room, the Privy Chamber, and the 
Presence Chamber, out of which at its western end a flight 
of stone stairs led down to the garden. On the western 
side of the palace, from the Strand nearly to the river side, 
there ran along Duchy Lane a row of coach-houses, stables 



m THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY 171 

and store yards. Near the south-east angle of the Upper 
Court was a passage leading down the " Back Stairs " to a 
second or Lower Court, two storeys below the Upper Court. 
Here were the more private apartments of the Queen — 
txhe "CofFee Room," *' Back Stair Room," "Oratory," 
'' Dressing Room," " Bed Chamber," and " Withdrawing 
Room," the two last named facing the gardens and com- 
manding a fine view of the river. Still farther eastward, 
extending over what is now part of the site of King's 
College as far as Strand Lane (formerly Strand Bridge Lane) 
were various other buildings chiefly occupied by members 
of the Court. These were called the French Buildings, 
and were connected with the " Yellow Room," the *' Cross 
Gallery," and the " Long Gallery," which led to a 
pleasaunce opening on the gardens. The gardens were 
laid out formally, as they had been arranged when in 
1662 the river frontage was built according to the designs 
of Inigo Jones. They are described, not altogether ap- 
provingly, by Pope in the lines : — 

" Grove nods to grove, each alley has its brother, 
And half the garden just reflects the other." 

But his description is literally true. Opposite both the 
greater and the lesser quadrangle were squared gardens with 
straight paved walks. Three avenues of trees ran down to 
the river, along which had been built a heavy dwarf wall. 
A gateway in this wall led by a flight of steps to the 
water, and on either side of it was a sculptured panel of 
Tritons and Nereids. Moored opposite the stairs in mid- 
stream was a kind of house-boat known as The Folly. 
About this time it served the purposes of a coff^ee tavern, 
and was frequented by the wits and fashionables of the day. 
It eventually became so common and notorious that it was 
abolished by order of a local magistrate. 

In yet another particular the Somerset House of the 



172 SOMERSET HOUSE 

eighteenth century resembled the Hampton Court of 
to-day. Its quadrangle and the grounds attached to it on 
the side of the river became places of resort, if not for 
the common people, at least for the known and worthy. 
In the garden was an excellent bowling-green, which we are 
told was available for the diversion of the citizens. The 
Spectator (^o. 77) for Tuesday, May 29, 171 1, pictures 
the kind of leisurely life now filling the scene of so much 
excitement in the past. " My friend Will Honeycomb," 
writes Budgell, " is one of those sort of men who are very 
often absent in conversation, and what the French call 
a reveur and a distrait. A little before our club time last 
night, we were walking together in Somerset garden, where 
Will had picked up a small pebble of so odd a make, that 
he said he would present it to a friend of his, an eminent 
virtuoso. After we had walked some time, I made a full 
stop with my face towards the west, which Will, knowing 
to be my usual method of asking what's o'clock in an 
afternoon, immediately pulled out his watch, and told me 
we had seven minutes good. We took a turn or two more, 
when, to my great surprise, I saw him squirt away his 
watch a considerable way into the Thames, and with great 
sedateness in his looks put up the pebble he had before 
found in his fob. As I have naturally an aversion to much 
speaking, and do not love to be the messenger of ill news, 
especially when it comes too late to be useful, I left him to 
be convinced of his mistake in due time, and continued my 
walk, reflecting on these little absences and distractions in 
mankind, and resolving to make them the subject of a 
future speculation." 

By a pathetic coincidence, Budgell, when some years later 
he was threatened with a prosecution, filled his pockets 
with stones in Somerset House garden and, taking a wherry 
at the stairs, rowed away, threw himself into the river and 
was drowned. 



IN THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY 173 

How many notabilities of Queen Anne's day walked like 
Budgell and his friend *' Will Honeycomb " in Somerset 
garden before club time ? How many played bowls on its 
famous lawn, sat with their ladies in the shade of its trees 
or the cool depth of Inigo Jones's piazza ? Or, again, what 
political measures were planned while representative men 
awaited a boat to carry them to the House at White- 
hall ? 

In the year 17 15, by royal letters patent, Somerset House 
was settled upon Caroline of Anspach, Princess of Wales, 
with a dowry of ^50,000 a year. But it is improbable 
that Caroline ever lived there, most of her time being 
spent at St. James's Palace, and at Leicester House (which 
stood on the site now occupied by the Empire Theatre of 
Varieties). Early in her tenure of Somerset House a 
masquerade arranged in celebration of a royal birthday, 
was the subject of an amusing paper contributed by Addison 
to the Freeholder (May 21, 17 16) : — 

" My friend, who has a natural aversion to London, 
would never have come up had he not been subpcenaed to 
it, as he told me, to give his testimony for one of the rebels 
whom he knew to be a very fair sportsman. Having 
travelled all night to avoid the inconveniences of dust and 
heat, he arrived with his guide a little after break of day at 
Charing Cross ; where to his great surprise he saw a running 
footman carried in a chair, followed by a waterman in the 
same kind of vehicle. He was wondering at the extrava- 
gance of their masters that furnished them with such dresses 
and accommodation, when on a sudden he beheld a chimney 
sweeper conveyed after the same manner with three footmen 
running before him. During his progress through the 
Strand he met with several other figures no less wonderful 
and surprising. Seeing a great many in rich morning 
gowns, he was amazed to find that persons of quality were 
up so early ; and was no less astonished to see many lawyers 



174 SOMERSET HOUSE 

in their bar-gowns, when he knew by his almanack the 
term was ended. As he was extremely puzzled and con- 
founded in himself what all this should mean, a hackney 
coach chancing to pass by him, four Batts popped out their 
heads all at once, which very much frightened both him and 
his horse. My friend, who always takes care to cure his 
horse of such starting fits, spurred him up to the very side 
of the coach, to the no small diversion of the Batts ; who 
seeing him with his long whip, horsehair perriwig, jockey- 
belt, and coat without sleeves, fancied him to be one of the 
masqueraders on horseback, and received him with a loud 
peal of laughter. His mind being full of idle stories which 
are spread up and down the nation by the disaffected, he 
immediately concluded that all the persons he saw in these 
strange habits were foreigners, and conceived a great indig- 
nation against them for pretending to laugh at an English 
county gentleman. But he soon recovered out of his error, 
by hearing the voices of several of them and particularly of 
a shepherdess quarrelling with the coachman and threaten- 
ing to break his bones, in very intelligible English, though 
with a masculine tone. His astonishment still increased 
upon him to see a continued procession of harlequins, 
scaramouches, punchinellos, and a thousand other merry 
dresses, by which people of quality distinguish their wit 
from that of the vulgar. 

" Being now advanced as far as Somerset House, and 
observing it to be the great hive whence the swarm of 
chimceras issued forth from time to time, my friend took 
his station among the cluster of the mob who were making 
themselves merry with their betters. The first that came 
out was a very venerable matron, with a nose and chin that 
were within a very little of touching one another. My 
friend at first view fancying her to be an old woman of 
quality, out of his good breeding took off his hat to her, 
when the person pulling off her mask, to his great surprise. 



IN THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY 175 

appeared a smock-faced young fellow. His attention was 
soon taken off from this object and turned to another, that 
had very hollow eyes and a wrinkled face, which flourished 
in all the bloom of fifteen. The whiteness of the lily 
was blended in it with the blush of the rose. He mis- 
took it for a very whimsical kind of mask ; but upon 
a nearer view he found that she held her vizard in her 
hand, and that what he saw was only her natural coun- 
tenance touched up with the usual improvements of an 
aged coquette. 

" The next who showed herself was a female Quaker, so 
very pretty that he could not forbear licking his lips and 
saying to the mob about him, ' It is ten thousand pities 
she is not a Church woman.' The Quaker was followed by 
half a dozen nuns, who filed off one after another up 
Catherine Street, to their respective convents in Drury 
Lane. 

*' The squire observing the preciseness of their dress, began 
now to imagine after all that this was a nest of sectaries ; 
for he had often heard that the town was full of them. He 
was confirmed in this opinion upon seeing a conjuror, whom 
he guessed to be the holder-forth. However, to satisfy 
himself he asked a porter, who stood next to him, what 
religion these people were of ^ The porter replied, ' They 
are of no religion ; it is a masquerade.' ' Upon that,' says 
my friend, ' I began to smoke that they were a parcel of 
mummers ' ; and being himself one of the quorum in his 
own county, could not but wonder that none of the 
Middlesex justices took care to lay some of them by the 
heels. He was the more provoked in the spirit of magis- 
tracy upon discovering two very unseemly objects : the 
first was a judge who rapped out a great oath at his foot- 
man ; and the other a big-bellied woman, who, upon taking 
a leap into the coach, miscarried of a cushion. What still 
gave him greater offence was a drunken bishop, who reeled 



176 SOMERSET HOUSE 

from one side of the court to the other, and was very sweet 
upon an Indian queen. But his worship in the midst of 
his austerity was mollified at the sight of a lovely milk- 
maid, whom he began to regard with an eye of mercy, and 
conceived a particular affection for her, until he found to 
his great amazement that the standers-by suspected her to 
be a Duchess. 

" I must not conclude this narrative without mentioning 
one disaster that happened to my friend on this occasion. 
Having for his better convenience dismounted and mixed 
among the crowd, he found upon his arrival at the 
inn, that he had lost his purse and his almanac. And 
though it is no wonder such a trick should be played 
upon him by some of the curious spectators, he cannot 
beat it out of his head but that it was a cardinal who 
picked his pocket, and that the Cardinal was a Presbyterian 
in disguise." 

During Anne's reign the chapel built by Henrietta 
Maria was finally divested of its Roman character, and 
given over to the Established Church. It was first opened 
for the public celebration of divine service on Sunday, 
April 15, 171 1. A regular minister was appointed by 
the Bishop of London as Dean of the Chapels Royal, and 
Somerset House Chapel was thereafter conducted in much 
the same manner as the Savoy Chapel of to-day. The 
first minister, the Rev. Mr. Ling, was succeeded by 
the Rev. Mr. Debat, to whom in 1734 were delivered "new 
Bibles, Prayer-books, and surplices for use in the chapel at a 
cost of £10.'' Dr. Lewis Bruce succeeded Mr. Debat 
in November, 1741, and continued in the office till the 
chapel was pulled down. Up to the year 1764 no stipend 
was attached to the ministry ; but in that year the Bishop 
of London, at the suggestion of Dr. Bruce, surrendered his 
right of nomination to the Lord Chamberlain, who at once 
issued a warrant for the officiating preacher to be sworn 



I 




( //////a //• : \ '-' ('(>/r////y 



To face page 177. 



IN THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY 177 

as Chaplain in Ordinary to the King, at a stipend of 
£ioo per annum. This stipend was increased to ;^I40 
in 1769. 

A register was kept of the marriages, baptisms, and 
burials which took place in the chapel between the years 
1 7 14 and 1775.^ This register, though rich in curious 
interest, cannot be commended to present-day clergymen 
as a model. Several of the spaces are left blank, evidently 
not without a hope that the requisite particulars might some 
day be supplied, while in one place we read of " a marriage 
solemnised by Dr. Chapman, Archdeacon of Sudbury, who 
neither left the license nor the name of the couple." 
Among the marriages more carefully carried out are those 
of Sir John Shadwell, the celebrated physician, in 1726 ; 
of Edward Hawke, Esq., afterwards Admiral Lord Hawke, 
in 1737 ; of William de Grey, afterwards Baron Walsing- 
ham, in 1743 ; of Soane Jenyns, the wit, in 1754. On 
May 6, 1769, Robert Travis, bachelor, Allhallows, 
Lombard Street, married Catherine Gunning, spinster, of 
Somerset House ; and on November 23 rd following, 
the Rev. Henry Beauclerk, bachelor, of Somerset House, 
married Charlotte Drummond, spinster, of St. Martin's-in- 
the-Fields. Catherine Gunning, daughter of Mrs. Gunning, 
who for many years was housekeeper at Somerset House, 
and died there in 1770, was the youngest of three beautiful 
sisters. Of the other two, one became Countess of 
Coventry, and the second. Duchess of Hamilton. The Rev. 
Henry Beauclerk was a son of Lord Harry Beauclerk, who 
held apartments in Somerset House, and died there in 1761. 
Charlotte Drummond was a daughter of the principal at 
Drummond's Bank. 

' The marriages, which number about 450, begin in 1714 and end in 
1755. Only 36 baptisms are recorded, the first in 1732, the last in 
1775 ; and 14 burials in the chapel vault, the first in 1720, the last 
in 1770. 

12 



178 SOMERSET HOUSE 

Among the list of baptisms in 1770 occur those ot 
Elizabeth Dorothea, daughter of Robert and Catherine 
Travis, and Henry, son of the Rev. Henry and Charlotte 
Beauclerk — issue, no doubt, of the marriages solemnised in 
the previous year. Although unrecorded in the chapel 
registers, the newspapers of 1730 give an account of the 
baptism at Somerset House Chapel, of a son of the chief 
of the Yamanses, a tribe of North American Indians, 
who was brought to England for his education by the 
Society for the Propagation of the Gospel. The rite 
was administered by the Bishop of London, Lady 
Conyers, Lord Carteret, and Abel Kettilby, Esq., being 
the sponsors. 

Burials took place occasionally in the vault beneath the 
chapel, but only by special order from the Lord Cham- 
berlain. The last interment occurred in 1770, and at 
Michaelmas, 1775, the chapel was closed. 

It is supposed that James Stuart, the elder " Pretender," 
was at one time secreted in Somerset House. There is an 
allusion to this belief in the Town Spy of 1725 : "The 
Pretender's residing at Somerset House in the year of 

peace was blabbed out by one of the Duke d' 's 

postilions." 

When the Prince of Orange, successor in Holland to 
William III. of England, came over in 1734 to woo the 
Princess Anne, daughter of George 11. , he was lodged in 
the state apartments. But royal splendour had fallen from 
the old palace with the departure of Catherine of Braganza ; 
and although the building continued to be the appurtenance 
of successive Queens down to its dilapidation in 1775, none 
of them is known to have resided there. 

Strype, in his revision of Stow's Survey^ alludes to new 
buildings erected on the ground granted by William III. to 
the Earl of Dorset in 1694 as "a stately pile of brick 
houses on both sides of Somerset House which much eclipse 



IN THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY 179 

that palace, so that it is a pity it was not more beautiful, 
especially the part that fronts the High Street, which house 
being now of later Time in possession of the Crown, hath 
been used as the palace or court of the Queen Dowagers." ''■ 
The erection of that " stately pile of brick houses " was the 
misfortune which spoiled the future Somerset House of a 
splendid frontage to the Strand. 

In 1749 the palace was the scene of a highly fashionable 
subscription masquerade at which George II. and Augusta 
Princess of Wales were present. One of the sensations 
of this gathering was the appearance *' in an almost 
primitive state " of the beautiful Maid of Honour, Eliza- 
beth Chudleigh, afterwards Duchess of Kingston. " Miss 
Chudleigh," says Walpole in a letter to Sir Horace 
Mann, *' was Iphigenia, but so naked you would have 
taken her for Andromeda." Despite his sixty-six years 
the King was still under the spell of this daring creature's 
charm, but his observations on her conduct have not 
been preserved. Several noblemen had already made her 
offers of marriage, and she astonished everybody by de- 
clining them. One of the rejected suitors, the Duke of 
Hamilton, was, however, so little put out by the refusal 
that he forthwith engaged himself to marry one of the 
three beautiful Miss Gunnings then residing at Somerset 
House. It subsequently came to light that beneath Miss 
Chudleigh's apparently inexplicable caprice lay the fact that 
she was already wedded to a gentleman of the Court. The 
Princess of Wales is said to have been so incensed by her 
maid's extraordinary behaviour at this Masquerade as herself 
to throw a thick veil about the thinly-clad figure. Perhaps 
it was then that Miss Chudleigh, alluding to a liaison sup- 
posed to exist between the Princess and Lord Bute, retorted, 
" Votre Altesse Roy ale sait que chacune a son But ! " If, 

* In the view of the procession of Scald Miserable Masons, the dwarfed 
effect of which Strype complains is unmistakable. 



180 SOMERSET HOUSE 

however, Iphigenia aroused the indignation of her royal 
mistress, she does not appear to have excited more con- 
temporary criticism than many of the other notabilities 
present ; but it may be the Court had grown accustomed 
to such unblushing vagaries. At any rate Walpole passes 
her by with the cursory observation we have quoted, and 
proceeds to comment upon other characters : " The King 
was well disguised in an old-fashioned English habit, and 
much pleased with somebody who desired him to hold their 
cup as they were drinking tea. The Duke of Cumberland 
had a dress of the same kind, but was so immensely corpulent 
that he looked like Cacofogo, the drunken captain in Rule 
a wife^ and have a wife. The Duchess of Richmond was 
a Lady Mayoress in the time of James I., and Lord De La 
Warr, Queen Elizabeth's Porter, from a picture in the guard 
chamber at Kensington. They were admirable masks. 
Lady Rochefort, Miss Evelyn, Miss Bishop, Lady Stafford, 
and Mrs. Pitt were in vast beauty ; particularly the last, who 
had a red veil which made her look gloriously handsome. 
I forgot Lady Kildare. Mr. Conway was the Duke in 
Don Qiuixote and the finest figure I ever saw ; and 
Lady Betty Smithson had such a pyramid of baubles upon 
her head that she was exactly the Princess of Babylon in 
Grammont. 

Another observant witness of the proceedings was Mrs. 
Elizabeth Montague, who, in a somewhat inconsequent 
letter to her sister on May 8, 1749, writes : "Pretty Mrs. 
Pitt looked as if she came from heaven, but was only 
on her road thither in the habit of a chanoinesse. Many 
ladies looked handsome and many rich : there was as great 
a quantity of diamonds as the town could produce. Mrs. 
Chandler was a starry night. The Duchess of Portland had 
no jewels. Lord Sandwich made a fine hussar. ... I 
stayed till five o'clock in the morning at the masquerade 
and am not tired. I have never been quite well since ; but 



IN THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY 181 

I had better luck than Miss Conway, who was killed by 
a draught of lemonade she drank there." The fatality 
is celebrated in the following doggerel : — 

" Poor Jenny Conway ! 

She drank lemonade 

At a masquerade ! 
And now she's dead and gone away." ' 

From the date of this masquerade the palace appears to 
have settled down into its humdrum, lodging-pen existence 
until the year 1763, when the Venetian Ambassador made 
a grand public entry into London and was entertained at 
Somerset House with regal magnificence. This was perhaps 
the last occasion on which the palace exhibited the pageantry 
with which in a previous age it had been so often associated. 
Queen Charlotte, if she visited it at all, brought back but 
little of the life which surrounded the courts of her 
predecessors in the seventeenth century, and on all the 
vast edifice there appeared the evidences of neglect and 
decay. In January 1764, the Hereditary Prince of 

^ The print here used in illustration of the masquerade has been con- 
stantly, though very doubtfully, attributed to Wm. Hogarth. It was first 
published in 1804, and the painting from which the engraver, T. Cook, 
worked, is catalogued by J. B. Nichols as of uncertain date. The same 
authority quotes the following MS. explanation sold with a copy of this 
print by Mr. Sotheby, December, 1827, in Mr. John Yates's collection. 
"The scene is laid at Somerset House. The lady on the left side playing 
at cards with her back towards the centre of the print is supposed to be 
the late Princess Amelia. Some foul play is suspected, as one is endeavour- 
ing to snatch the cards. The figure in the double mask is intended for 
the late Princess of Wales. The gentleman on the youthful side of the 
mask is intended for the Earl of Bute ; and the fat figure for the Duke of 
Cumberland. The middle figure in the black mask is Frederick, Prince 
of Wales. The figure in the dress of a Quaker by the fire is placed there 
to draw our attention to the figure on the opposite side intended for his 
gracious Majesty (George H.) in amorous parley with the fair Quaker ; 
and she appears to be retiring with her royal lover." 

We confess to scepticism both as to the artist and the explanation. 
Hogarth died in 1764, and the Princess Amelia was not born till twenty 
years later. 



182 SOMERSET HOUSE 

Brunswick Luneburg landed at Harwich and posted thence 
to Somerset House, where he lived quietly while engaged 
in negotiating his marriage with Augusta, daughter of 
George III. The Prince was the last royal personage lodged 
in the palace, which after his departure was partly utihsed 
as a barracks. The more desirable apartments, however, 
were still reserved for the benefit of private residents. The 
lady holding the office of Housekeeper, Dr. Lewis Bruce, 
the Chaplain, and Mr, George Michael Moser, Keeper of 
the Royal Academy, lived in suites facing the river. 

In 1 77 1 the State apartments were granted to the newly- 
constituted Royal Academy for the accommodation of its 
schools of design, and there on January 14th of that 
year the academicians met in council and were honoured 
by the attendance of the Duke of Cumberland. The first 
official dinner of the Academy, which soon became and still 
continues one of the chief social events of the year, was 
held at Somerset House on St. George's Day, April 23, 
1 77 1. The invitations were limited to twenty-five, and the 
cost of the meal to five shillings per head. From the menu 
for the dinner of 1774 we learn that there were two courses, 
the first consisting of " fish, fowls, roast beef, pidgeon pye, 
raised pye, ham, sallad, and greens " ; the second of " lamb, 
goose, ducks, asparagus, and pudding." The wine, which 
was charged as an extra, was limited to port and Madeira ; 
and there were also extra charges for " desert of fruit," 
*' strange beer," " olives after supper," and for the waiters. 
The letter of an early student of the Academy schools gives 
some particulars of the estabhshment at this time : " In my 
last I promised you a description of the Royal Academy. 
It is in Somerset House, Strand, formerly a palace. There 
is one large room for the Plaster academy, one for the Life, 
where two men sit two hours each night by turns every 
week, and a large room in which lectures are given every 
Monday night by Dr. Hunter on Anatomy, Wale on 



IN THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY 183 

Perspective, Penny on Painting, and Thomas Sandby on 
Architecture ; and among many other apartments there 
is a choice library." ^ Though the school, the library, 
and the meetings of the Council were accommodated at 
Somerset House, the annual exhibition of pictures con- 
tinued to be held at the Academy's rooms in Pall Mall 
until 1780. 

The last housekeeper at Somerset House was Mrs. 
Charlotte Lennox, once a novelist of repute and friend of 
Dr. Johnson. Her best known work, The Female Quixote ; 
or, the Adventures of Arabella, was warmly praised by 
Fielding,2 and Johnson himself reviewed it in the Gentle- 
man s Magazine.^ Indeed, there is plentiful evidence that 
Johnson, in his admiration of Mrs. Lennox's singular talent, 
was in danger of losing his head. He introduced her to 
the society of Samuel Richardson, and it can scarcely be 
doubted that among the visitors to her apartments at 
Somerset House were numbered the authors of Clarissa 
Harlowe and Tom Jones, as well as the great lexicographer. 
When the palace was demolished Mrs. Lennox received no 
recompense for the loss of her rooms ; her fame as a writer 
quickly waned, and in the later years of her life she was 
reduced by continual sickness to a condition of extreme 
poverty. 

In May, 1775, Parliament was recommended in a 
message from the Crown to settle upon Queen Charlotte 
the house in which she then resided, formerly called 
Buckingham House, but afterwards known as the Queen's 
House ; in which case Somerset House, which had been 
settled upon her in 1761, would be given up and appro- 
priated to such purposes as should be found most useful 
to the State. Parliament accepted the King's offer, and 

^ John Deare to his parents, March 24, 1777. (See Nollekens and hb 
Tifftes.) 

' Foyage to Lisbon. 3 Vol. xxii. 146. 



184 SOMERSET HOUSE 

imposed upon Sir William Chambers, the Surveyor-General, 
the task of rebuilding the ruined palace for the public 
service. 

A description of old Somerset House just prior to its 
disappearance is given in John Northouck's History of 
London^ published in 1773 : "On the south side of the 
Strand is the old palace called Somerset House, which, 
though so far neglected as to be permitted to fall to ruin 
in some of the back parts, is reckoned one of the Royal 
palaces, and as such is settled on our present Queen for 
life. . . . The front in the Strand is adorned with columns 
and other decorations, which are much defaced by time 
and the smoak of the City, the principal ornament having 
mouldered away. This front, together with the Quadrangle, 
seem to have been the first attempts to restore the ancient 
architecture in England. In the middle is a handsome gate 
which opens into the Quadrangle, the inner front of which is 
adorned with a piazza, perhaps more in taste than any other 
in the kingdom of the same antiquity, and the whole build- 
ing on this side has an air of grandeur. The most beautiful 
front is the back of this toward the garden, situated upon an 
elevation, part of which was new built by Inigo Jones, with a 
fine piazza and lofty apartments over it : the stairs and gate 
to the water show where he intended the centre. His design 
being left unfinished, the building towards the garden is 
very irregular, some of the old edifice being left standing, 
or rather, falling, on that side. The garden was adorned 
with statues, shady walks, and a bowling green, but as 
none of the royal family have resided here since Queen 
Catherine, dowager of Charles II., several of the ofiicers 
of the Court and its dependants are permitted to lodge 
in it ; and great part of it has been lately used as barracks 
for soldiers. The garden, after being spoiled by the 
exercising of recruits in it, has been shut up and totally 
neglected." 



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IN THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY 185 

A writer during the earlier decades of last century thus 
describes the surroundings of the Palace : "There are 
many," he observes, " who recollect the venerable aspect 
of the courtway from the Strand as well as the dark and 
winding steps which led down to the garden for years 
suffered to run to decay, and where the ancient and 
lofty trees spread a melancholy aspect over the neglected 
boundary by no means unpleasing to the visitor, who in 
a few moments could turn from noise and tumult to still- 
ness and peace." This garden, as we have already seen, 
was divided into two parts. One of these, known indif- 
ferently as the flower-garden and the water-garden, was 
bounded on two sides by the walls of the palace, on the 
east by the wall which ran along Strand Lane, and on 
the south by a palisade. It formed a terrace, to which 
access was gained from the other part of the garden by 
a flight of steps leading through a gateway in the palisade. 
Both this garden and the larger one fronting the river 
were laid out geometrically, and ornamented with statuary. 
Joseph Moser, in a paper contributed to the European 
Magazine^ particularises a statue in brass of Cleopatra with 
a snake environing her arm and fixed upon her breast, and 
in her other hand a cap. " I can remember," he continues, 
*' the stone pedestals of the statues standing in their proper 
places ; the miserably mutilated remainder of others were 
placed against the west wall, but so corroded and dilapi- 
dated that it was impossible to discern what they had 
been or to what the remains belonged. In the centre of 
the western quarter of the garden was a large basin ; there 
had been a fountain, which was now dry, however. The 
water-gate, which fell in the general dissolution of the 
building, was esteemed beautiful, and adorned with figures 
of Thames and Isis." 

The same writer has left us a vivid picture of the interior 
as it appeared when Sir William Chambers surveyed it 



186 SOMERSET HOUSE 

before the final demolition. " At the extremity of the 
Royal Apartments, which might be termed semi-modern, 
two large folding doors connected the architecture of Inigo 
Jones with the ancient structure : these opened into a long 
gallery on the first floor of a building which occupied one 
side of the water garden ; at the lower end of which was 
another gallery, or suite of apartments, which made an 
angle forming the original front towards the river, and 
extending to Strand Lane. This old part of the mansion 
had long been shut up (it was haunted of course) when 
Sir William Chambers, wishing or being directed to survey 
it, the folding-doors of the Royal bed-chamber (the Keeper's 
drawing-room) were opened, and a number of persons 
entered with the Surveyor. The first of the apartments, 
the long gallery, was observed to be lined with oak, in 
small panels ; the heights of their mouldings had been 
touched with gold ; it had an oaken floor and stuccoed 
ceiling, from which still depended part of the chains, &c., 
to which had hung chandeliers. Some of the sconces 
remained against the sides, and the marks of the glasses 
were still to be distinguished upon the wainscot. 

" From several circumstances it was evident that this 
gallery had been used as a ball-room. The furniture 
which had decorated the royal apartments had, for the 
conveniency of the Academy, and perhaps prior to that 
establishment, been removed to this and the adjoining 
suite of apartments. It was extremely curious to observe 
thrown together in the utmost confusion various articles, 
the fashion and forms of which showed that they were 
the production of different periods. In one part were the 
vestiges of a throne and canopy of State ; in another curtains 
for the audience chamber, which had once been crimson 
velvet, fringed with gold. What remained of the fabric had, 
except in the deepest folds, faded to an olive colour ; all the 
fringe and lace but a few threads and spangles had been ripped 



IN THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY 187 

off ; the ornaments of the chairs of State demolished ; and 
stools, couches, screens, and fire-dogs broken and scattered 
about in a state of derangement which might have tempted 
a philosopher to moralise upon the transitory nature of 
sublunary splendour and human enjoyments. With respect 
to the gold and silver which were worked in the borders 
and other parts of the tapestries with which the royal 
apartments were, even within my remembrance, hung, it 
had been carefully picked out while those rooms were used 
as barracks. Some very elegant landscapes, beautifully 
wove in tapestry, adorned the library of the Royal Academy 
until the dissolution of the building. i 

" To return from this short digression to the gallery, I 
must observe that treading in dust that had been for ages 
accumulating, we passed through the collection of ruined 
furniture to the suite of apartments which I have already 
stated formed the other side of the angle and fronted the 
Thames. In these rooms, which had been adorned in a 
style of splendour and magnificence creditable to the taste 
of the age of Edward the Sixth, part of the ancient 
furniture remained, and, indeed, from the stability of its 
materials and construction, might have remained for centuries 
had proper attention been paid to its preservation. The 
audience chamber had been hung with silk, which was in 
tatters, as were the curtains, gilt leather covers, and painted 
screens. There was in this and a much longer room a 

' " I have frequently contemplated this tapestry with sensations of 
pleasure arising from the elegance of the designs and the perfection of the 
workmanship. It beautifully ornamented the building of Inigo Jones, 
and was, I have no doubt, the production of French looms. The com- 
position of the landscapes seemed to be of the school of Gasper Poussin. 
The tapestries in the other apartments, which had been taken down long 
before the Royal Academy was established, displayed historical subjects." 
The tapestries here referred to were doubtless introduced during the reign 
of Charles II. When the Crown relinquished the palace, only the finest 
tapestries were preserved, the remainder being sold to private individuals 
and dealers. Many years after this sale strips of tapestry from Somerset 
House were still procurable at a shop in Long Acre. 



188 SOMERSET HOUSE 

number of articles which had been removed from other 
apartments, and the same confusion and appearance of 
neglect was evident. Some of the sconces, though reversed, 
were still against the hangings ; and one of the brass gilt 
chandeliers still depended from the ceiling. Passing through 
these rooms a pair of doors near the eastern extremity, with 
difficulty opened, gave access to an apartment upon the first 
floor of a small pile which formed a kind of tower at the 
end of the old building, and the internal part of which was 
unquestionably the work of Inigo Jones. This had been 
used as a breakfast or dressing room by Catherine, the 
Queen of Charles the Second, and had more the appear- 
ance of a small temple than a room ; it was of an octagonal 
form, and the ceiling rose in a dome from a beautiful 
cornice. There appeared such an elegant simplicity in the 
architecture, and such a truly Attic grace in the ornaments, 
that Sir William Chambers exceedingly regretted the neces- 
sity there was for its dilapidation. The figures painted 
upon the panels were in fresco ; the ornaments under the 
surbase were, in their heights, touched with gold. The few 
articles of furniture that remained here were in the antique 
style, and there were several pictures upon the ground, but 
except one, which seemed adapted to the panel over the 
chimney, they were not judged to have belonged to this 
apartment. A small door opened out of this room upon 
the staircase, and, when you had descended to the ground 
floor, on the right hand side of the passage was an apartment 
of octagonal form lined entirely with marble, in the interior 
closets of which were a hot and a cold bath. The latter had, I 
believe, been a short time before used by the inhabitants of 
the palace, and was, I have no doubt, supplied by the same 
spring that was afterwards transferred to the Surrey Street 
Baths. The general state of this building, its mouldering 
walls and decaying furniture, broken casements, falling roof, 
and the long range of its uninhabited and uninhabitable 



m THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY 189 

apartments, presented to the mind in strong, though gloomy, 
colours a correct picture of those dilapidated castles, the 
haunts of spectres and residence of magicians and murderers, 
which have since the period to which I allude made such a 
figure in romance." ^ 

' Festiges : European Magazine, August, 1802. 



CHAPTER V 



THE NEW BUILDING 



OF the noble mansions which once won glory for the 
Strand, only Somerset House remains. The Fire 
of 1666 stopped short at Temple Bar ; yet had it continued 
as far as Charing Cross and destroyed the palaces which 
stood along the river, the whole aspect of the waterside 
could not have undergone a more complete transformation 
than has taken place since Wren rebuilt London. Unlike 
the neighbouring houses of York, Durham, Exeter, Arundel, 
and Savoy, Somerset House did not finally disappear when 
the old fabric was demolished. Phcenix-like it rose again 
in greater splendour ; and the edifice which replaced the 
ambitious failure of the Lord Protector takes rank among 
the first examples of classic architecture in the eighteenth 
century. 

On December 25, 1775, Sir WiUiam Chambers, Surveyor- 
General of the King's Works, was appointed to carry into 
execution an Act of Parliament, 15 Geo. III., intituled : 
" An Act for settling Buckingham House with the appur- 
tenances thereof upon the Queen in case she shall survive 
His Majesty in lieu of His Majesty's palace of Somerset 
House, for enabling the Lords Commissioners of the 
Treasury to sell and dispose of Ely House in Holbourn, 
and for applying the money to arise by the sale thereof in 



190 




From the painting by Sir Joshua Reynolds. 



To face page 190. 



THE NEW BUILDING 191 

erecting and establishing public offices at Somerset House, 
and for embanking certain parts of the River Thames lying 
within the bounds of the Manor of the Savoy, and for other 
purposes therein mentioned." 

For some time prior to this date the need of better 
accommodation for the Royal Academy, the Royal Society, 
and certain Government Departments had been acutely felt ; 
and a Mr. Robinson, Secretary of the Board of Works, 
had prepared designs for a new building on the site of old 
Somerset House. These designs, as might be expected, 
were little better than builder's drawings for a plain substan- 
tial structure, commodious enough to meet requirements, 
but without pretension to the just proportion and disposi- 
tion of parts which distinguish true architecture. At this 
juncture Edmund Burke and other men of taste urged the 
propriety of making so vast and expensive a scheme at 
once an object of national splendour as well as of official 
convenience, and the Government of the day exercised a 
wise judgment in requisitioning the abilities of Sir Wilham 
Chambers, to supersede the tasteless ineptitude of the de- 
partmental builder. Mr. Robinson's designs were laid aside, ^ 
and Chambers prepared an entirely new series which was 
duly approved and ordered to be carried out. These designs 
embraced the whole of the area now covered by Somerset 
House and King's College, but were subsequently curtailed 
owing to lack of funds. The site was partly cleared, and 
the first stone of the present building was laid in 1776. 

Sir William Chambers, to whom we must now turn, 
was born at Stockholm in 1726. When two years old 
he was brought by his father, a man of considerable 
means, to Ripon in Yorkshire, where the family owned an 
estate. 

^ Actually they were handed to Sir William Chambers, but were 
found to be of no service, and were not in any way embodied in the new 
scheme. 



192 SOMERSET HOUSE 

At the age of sixteen he began life as a supercargo in 
the service of the Swedish East India Company, and in 
that capacity visited China, where he appears to have made 
a systematic study of Chinese architecture and costume. 
Two years later, resolving to devote himself to architecture, 
he quitted the sea and made a prolonged stay in Italy, 
studying the buildings and writings of Palladio, Michael 
Angelo, Vignola, Scamozzi, Sangallo, Bernini, and other 
masters of the Classic style. On his return to England he 
had the good fortune to be introduced to Augusta, Princess 
dowager of Wales, who sought a young architect to decorate 
her villa at Kew. Chambers secured the commission, and 
between 1757 and 1762 indulged his taste in both the 
Chinese and the Classic styles. The Pagoda and several 
diminutive Roman temples adorning what are now Kew 
Gardens represent his work at this period. These edifices 
attracted considerable attention, and unquestionably pleased 
his royal patrons, with whom he stood in high favour. He 
was employed to teach architectural drawing to the Prince 
of Wales (afterwards George III.), and in 1759 issued the 
Treatise of Civil Architecture, which, notwithstanding some 
defects, has remained a standard text-book for architectural 
students. At the institution of the Royal Academy in 
1768 Chambers played a prominent part, and was elected its 
first treasurer. In 1772 he published a Dissertation on 
Oriental Gardening, which brought upon him a torrent of 
satire and abusive criticism. But his influence at Court 
and his position as Surveyor-General were alone sufficient to 
secure him the opportunity of rebuilding Somerset House, 
when, in 1775, that project was brought forward. He 
received a salary of £ipoo a year for the work, which was 
still unfinished when he died at his house in North Street, 
St. Marylebone, March 8, 1796. He lies buried in the 
Poets' Corner of Westminster Abbey . 

A large collection of the plans, details, and working 



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THE NEW BUILDING 193 

drawings for the building of Somerset House, now pre- 
served in the Soane Museum, bears witness to the 
extraordinary patience and industry displayed by the 
architect in contriving his edifice to suit the multifarious 
needs of so many different establishments. It is evident 
that sectional plans were submitted for the approval of each 
of the public offices concerned, and that so far as was practic- 
able the peculiar requirements of each were separately 
considered before the scheme as a whole was proceeded 
with. The uncertainty as to the ultimate extent of the 
interior, combined with the natural difficulties of the site, led 
to the rejection of several ambitious designs before the 
present plan was adopted. In one of these rejected designs 
the roadway under the Strand front led to a rectangular court- 
yard, on the farther side of which it passed under the 
building into a large elliptical courtyard having an outlet 
towards the river. On the east and west of this courtyard 
were two other courtyards of elliptical shape communicating 
with the main courtyard through vestibules or carriage ways 
similar to the main entrance from the Strand. Another 
plan provided for a river facade with a deeply-recessed centre 
and one square courtyard flanked by two narrow rectangular 
ones. This differed only in detail from the selected design, 
except as regards the frontage to the river ; but as the 
elevations of none of the trial plans were worked out, it 
is difficult to judge in what degree they might have excelled 
the one eventually chosen. 

While the building operations were being carried out the 
designs were subjected to many severe criticisms. The 
journals and other publications of the time strongly 
animadverted upon the rising structure ; and there 
can be little doubt that the architect needed all the 
solace of his friendship with Dr. Johnson, Goldsmith, 
Reynolds, Garrick, and other men of eminence, to prevent 
these attacks from interfering with his plans. Especially 

13 



194 SOMERSET HOUSE 

violent were the contributions of an engraver named 
Williams, who figures under a nom~de-guerre as Antony 
Pasquin ; but Pasquin was imperfectly acquainted with the 
subject of his abuse, and some years later his errors were 
effectually exposed. 

Good progress was made in the work of construction 
during the first four or five years. By February, 1779, ^^ 
scaffolding had been removed from the Strand front, and 
towards the end of the year much of the northern block 
designed to accommodate the Royal Academy, the Royal, 
and other learned societies, was ready for occupation. On 
May I, 1780, Sir William Chambers submitted to the 
House of Commons a lengthy report on the state of the 
operations at that date. It furnishes a clear record of the 
progress of the building, and an interesting commentary on 
the difficulties which the architect was called upon to 
surmount : — 

" The building which faces the Strand, extends in front 
135 feet, is 61 feet deep, and has two wings, each 46 feet 
wide and 42 feet in depth, the whole being seven storeys 
high ; it is faced with Portland stone, built with hard 
greystock bricks, Russian timber, and the best materials of 
all kinds. All the fronts of this structure are decorated 
with a rustic arcade basement, a Corinthian order of 
columns and pilasters, enriched windows, balustrades, 
statues, masks, medallions, and various other ornamental 
works necessary to distinguish this principal and most 
conspicuous part of the design ; which, being in itself trifling 
when compared with the whole, required not only particular 
forms and proportions, but likewise some profusion of 
ornaments to mark its superiority. Decorations, too, have 
been more freely employed in the vestibule of entrance, and 
in all the public apartments of this building, than will be 
necessary in the remainder of the work ; because the 
vestibule, open to the most frequented street in London, is 




To face page IPS. 



THE NEW BUILDING 195 

a general passage to every part of the whole design ; and 
the apartments are intended for the reception of useful 
learning and polite arts, where it is humbly presumed 
specimens of elegance should at least be attempted. The 
work just described forms the upper part (or north side) of 
a large quadrangular court, being in width 210 and in 
depth 296 feet, which is to be surrounded with buildings 
54 feet deep and six storeys high, containing the Navy, the 
Navy Pay, the Victualling, and the Sick and Hurt Offices, 
the Ordnance Offices, the Stamp, Salt, and Tax Offices, the 
Surveyor-General of Crown Lands, and the Offices of the 
Duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall, also the Offices of the 
two auditors of Imprests and the Pipe, the Treasurer's 
Remembrancer, the Clerk of the Estreats, and Comptroller 
of the Pipe, with various apartments for secretaries and 
other persons whose residences in the several offices has 
been judged convenient for the Public Service. All these 
buildings surrounding the said court are now raised two 
storeys high (excepting at one corner where the old palace 
yet standing has prevented it) ; they have two floors laid 
on and the third storey carried up to a considerable height 
on all, the which forms the bottom of the court, and at the 
same time makes a considerable portion of the great river 
front, which when finished is, according to the general 
design, to extend in length 600 feet. 

"This work is likewise all faced with stone, is built of the 
best materials in the most substantial manner possible, and 
set on brick foundations, a great part of them laid in the 
bed of the river, with various expensive but necessary 
precautions, and others sunk through loose-made ground 
10, 12, and even 16 feet deep. The greatest part of the 
vaults, too, surrounding the areas of this large quadrangle, 
are turned, as also a great part of the cross-passage of 
communication from the areas on one side to those on the 
other, which are all built of hard greystocks, with stone 



196 SOMERSET HOUSE 

plinths necessarily set in most parts on very deep brick 
foundations. Bl 

"Beside the progress made in the extensive works already 
mentioned, the foundations are laid at considerable expense 
in the river for the embankment, to the extent 438 feet by 
a width of 46 feet, upon which is raised a rustic granite 
basement, 1 3 feet 7 inches high with a range of arched stone 
galleries and apartments built thereon, all to the same extent, 
and at this time raised in parts to the height of 18 feet 
I inch, and in others to the height of 28 feet, having one 
floor already laid on, and the centres ready to set for turning 
the arches which are to support the street of the terrace. 

"The building now erecting on the site of Somerset House 
is of a very uncommon kind, unusually extensive, intricately 
complicated, and attended with many and great difficulties 
in the execution ; whence it was at first, and is even yet, 
impossible to form an exact estimate of the expense. As 
far, however, as the architect's judgment and experience can 
guide him, he thinks it will certainly not exceed ^^2 50,000." 

A drawing made not many months after the presentation 
of this report shows the southern front of the completed 
block next the Strand and a part of the west wing still in 
the scaffolds. All that remained of the old palace stands 
gloomy and ruinous on the left of the picture. From this 
time the work was advanced as quickly as the appropriation 
of funds would allow. A resolution of the House of 
Commons dated June i, 1780, granted ^25,000 for 
buildings at Somerset House, another of May 21, 
1782, ^36,000, and a third in 1784, ^£25,000 ; but in 
succeeding years the official parsimony interfered seriously 
with the advancement of the work, and though at the time 
of the architect's death, in 1796, the result of his long task 
no longer remained in doubt, Malcolm, in his London and 
Westminster, issued at that time, describes the building as 
" far from complete, and little progress made since the com- 



THE NEW BUILDING 197 

mencement of the war, the exigencies of the Government 
having diverted to other purposes the sum of _^ 2 5,000 which 
for several years had been annually voted for its con- 
tinuance." 

Precisely at what date the structure may be regarded as 
having passed out of the builder's hands it is impossible to 
determine, as for some years payments continued to be made 
for the finishing of various details. Malcolm's statement 
doubtless had in view the plans for the whole site, many of 
which could not be found even during the first decade of 
last century ; but by the time his book was issued the com- 
plete scheme had been definitely abandoned, and drawings of 
the building made as early as 1790 show that with the 
exception of the bronze group the quadrangle was then 
complete. Accounts preserved at the Record Office give 
particulars of the sums expended up to December 25, 
1 801, and as late as 18 19 decorative work was still being 
done upon the internal north facade. 

In March, 1790, estimates for the completion of the 
building were laid before the House of Commons. They 
show that sums amounting to ;^3 34,703 had already been 
expended, and that ;^33,500 were required to finish what 
had been begun. Ten years previously the architect had 
named ^250,000 as a liberal estimate of the cost, and ten 
years later even the larger amount had been found in- 
adequate. Probably if an accurate account of all the 
expenses could be given it would not fall far short of 
^500,000. And this sum represents the outlay upon the 
river facade, the east and west wings, and the north block 
only. King's College and the Inland Revenue Office in 
Lancaster Place belong to a later day. 

The frontage to the Strand is composed of a rustic base- 
ment of nine arches supporting ten Corinthian columns on 
pedestals, and crowned by a central attic flanked on each 
side by a balustrade. The order embraces two storeys. 



198 SOMERSET HOUSE 

Colossal masks emblematic of ocean and eight principal 
rivers of England are carved in alto-relievo upon the key- 
stones of the arches. Medallions of George III., Queen 
Charlotte, and the Prince of Wales figure in the entablatures 
above the three central windows of the first storey. The 
attic is divided into three parts by the sculptured figures of 
four men in senatorial robes ; on their heads is the cap of 
liberty, each holds in one hand a fasces^ or bundle of reeds, 
bound together in illustration of the strength derived from 
unity, while in their other hands they sustain respectively 
the scales, the mirror, the sword, and the bridle, emblems of 
justice, prudence, valour, and moderation. The central 
division of the attic was left plain for an inscription, but 
none has been inserted ; the two side divisions contain 
elliptical windows decorated with festoons of oak and laurel. 
Surmounting the whole is a trophy of the Bristol arms sup- 
ported by figures of Fame and the Genius of England. Of 
the nine basement arches the three central ones are open and 
give access to the interior courtyard. The three on each 
side of this entrance are occupied by windows of the Doric 
order ornamented with pilasters, entablatures, and pediments. 
The windows of the second storey are enriched with decora- 
tions of the Ionic order, and those of the third storey, which 
are square, are finished with plain mouldings. 

The three open arches lead in the first place to a vestibule 
connecting the Strand with the courtyard. In this vestibule 
to the right is the doorway opening into the apartments 
designed for the Royal Academy, and to the left another 
leading to the rooms allotted to the Royal Society and 
the Society of Antiquaries. The vestibule itself is decorated 
with columns of the Doric order, the entablature of which 
carries a vaulted ceiling adorned with the ciphers of the 
reigning house, sculptures from the antique, and other 
enrichments. 

The frontage of this part of the building towards the 



1 




Bkonze Group in Quadrangle. 



To face page 199. 



THE NEW BUILDING 199 

courtyard is some 200 feet in length, and differs little 
in the style of its decorations from the Strand front. 
Pilasters are used instead of columns in the central division, 
which is recessed, and in the side division of the wings ; and 
four Corinthian colunijns with entablature ornament the 
front divisions of each wing. Statues emblematic of the 
four quarters of the globe — America armed, and breathing 
defiance, the rest bearing tributary fruits — divide the attic 
into three parts, each of which is pierced by an elliptical 
window ; and surmounting the whole are the British arms 
on a cartel surrounded by seaweeds and supported by tritons 
holding a festoon of netting filled with fish and other marine 
productions. Crowning the front of each wing is a group 
composed of an antique altar and two sphinxes, judiciously 
contrived to screen the chimneys. On the keystones of the 
three arches of entrance are masks representing the Lares, 
or tutelar deities of the place. 

Facing the vestibule, and protected in front by a deep 
balustraded area, is a group in bronze upon a stone pedestal. 
A colossal figure of Neptune or Father Thames reclines 
with his arm upon an urn. At his back is a cornucopia, and 
behind that again, on a higher plane, is a figure of George 
III. in Roman garb leaning upon a rudder, with a lion 
couchant on the one side and the prow of a Roman vessel 
on the other. 

The east, west, and south sides of the Quadrangle corre- 
spond in their severe and massive character. The central 
space or courtyard is supported at the Strand level by lofty 
vaults used for purposes of storage, and around it runs an 
area with an average width of 10 feet and a depth of 25 feet, 
protected by a balustrade and admitting light and air to the 
two storeys of the building which constitute its basement. 
The principal features of the east and west facades are alike : 
above the central doorway is a colonnade of the Corinthian 
order embracing the second and third storeys, and supporting 



200 SOMERSET HOUSE 

above its entablature a balustrade, upon which are disposed 
six urns, corresponding with the six members of the colon- 
nade ; over the whole rises a small clock tower. The central 
division of the south front, though similar, is somewhat more 
elaborate. In this the entablature, is supported by four 
columns and four pilasters of the Corinthian order, and the 
windows behind the columns are recessed. Over the roof 
rises a cupola the base of which is screened by an angular 
pediment. In the tympanum of the pediment is a large 
basso-relievo of a sea-nymph drawn by sea-horses and 
guarded by tritons supporting the arms of the British navy. 
Naval trophies are also grouped at the outer angles of the 
pediment. 

The appearance of the river front has been much altered 
by the construction of Waterloo Bridge and the Victoria 
Embankment. A solid base of granite masonry, built up 
beyond the level of high water, supports a massive rustic 
arcade upon which is laid a terrace, 46 feet wide, running 
from end to end of the facade. The granite base was 
broken in the centre, and the space spanned by a broad arch 
formerly admitting the passage of boats to an entrance under 
the Navy Office used by the King's barge-master, who 
occupied apartments under the terrace. The archway with 
its finely-sculptured keystone, emblematic of the Thames, is 
still a notable feature, though since the construction of the 
Victoria Embankment, its original purpose is not ap- 
parent. The eighth arch on each side of this central arch 
was also open to the river, and formed a landing-place for 
the warehouses and offices in the basement. On either side 
of these landing-places stand rusticated columns surmounted 
by square projections ornamented with sculptured festoons, 
and flanked by colossal figures of lions couchant. Above the 
terrace, which is on a level with the interior courtyard, the 
main structure rises in three storeys. The centre and wings 
are slightly advanced, but the large effect of solemnity and 




O' 



THE NEW BUILDING 201 

repose remains undisturbed. In the centre of the facade 
the principal feature of the south front of the quadrangle is 
repeated ; and in each of the wings, opposite the subsidiary 
landing-places under the terrace, is an archway, and, above 
the archway, an open colonnade with entablature and pedi- 
ment. On each side of the colonnade four pilasters com- 
plete the distinctive features of the wings. It was intended 
that this front should have a total length of 600 feet, the 
idea being to erect on the east and west sides of the main 
building rows of official residences running north and south, 
uniform in style with the rest, and connected with Somerset 
House by the great archways at either end of the terrace. 
The opportunity was exceptional, and the architect availed 
himself of it to make a complete composition of the river 
front; but it was not until 1830 — more than thirty years 
after his death — that the design was fulfilled by the building 
of King's College. 

No building in London has been executed with greater 
ability than Somerset House, and if at some points it fails 
in freedom and vitality of design, it is nevertheless an 
almost perfect example of the master-builder's craft. 
Though fettered by academical tradition. Sir William 
Chambers undoubtedly possessed an exact and compre- 
hensive knowledge, and an exquisite, almost fastidious 
taste. He spent infinite pains upon every detail of his 
designs, and gathered round him a band of arti^s on 
whose skilfulness he could rely. He was careful even 
in the selection of workmen, and his instructions for 
the execution of the simplest masonry were precise. One 
need only examine an unimportant detail like the terminals 
of the balustrading in the courtyard to be convinced of 
his unfailing supervision and artistic feeling. In his 
well-known treatise on Architecture he has remarked 
that " the most masterly disposition incorrectly executed 
can only be considered as a sketch in painting or an 



202 SOMERSET HOUSE 

excellent piece of music murdered by village fiddlers," and 
all his work bears evidence that he never lost sight of that 
idea. 

The sculptured decorations of Somerset House are worthy 
of particular observation, as much for the judgment with 
which they have been applied as for their intrinsic excel- 
lence. Sir William Chambers may be held to have recog- 
nised the true relationship of the sculptor to the architect, 
to have employed him as a decorator, rather than in the 
production of richly-carved masses tending to focus the 
interest of the spectator at particular points instead of 
distributing it evenly upon the whole design. The func- 
tion of architectural sculpture, whether we consider it 
broadly in the mouldings or in the orders and ornamental 
figures, is subordinate to that of the main lines of the 
building : it is concerned in lending variety to the wall 
spaces, and so imparting tone to the facade. How much 
of the ultimate success of a building is dependent upon the 
architect's skilful use of sculptured forms it would be 
impossible to determine, but the great importance of such 
details could not fail to impress the critical eye in the 
chiaroscuro of Somerset House. While, however, it is 
necessary thus to keep the sculptor within appropriate 
limits, his work, considered by itself, is capable of realising 
the highest qualities of his art ; and there seems no reason 
why the most gifted sculptor should not be ready to co- 
operate loyally in an architectural scheme. Whatever diffi- 
culties may have been encountered in this matter were over- 
come by Sir William Chambers, for many of the best-known 
sculptors of the day lent their talents in the embellishment 
of Somerset House. More self-sacrificing than any sculptor, 
however, was Giovanni Battista Cipriani, who not only 
ungrudgingly lavished his gifts as a painter and unrivalled 
draughtsman of children in the decoration of the interior of 
the north block, but actually designed the figures for the 



THE NEW BUILDING 203 

exterior adornment of the whole building. ^ The Ionic, 
Composite and Corinthian capitals used throughout the 
building were copied from models specially made of 
the best antiques in Rome. The sculptors principally- 
employed were Joseph Wilton, Agostino Carlini, John 
Bacon, and Joseph Nollekens, all distinguished in the 
early history of the Royal Academy, and Giuseppe Ceracchi, 
an Italian attracted to England by the liberal patronage 
of George III. 

Of the nine keystones to the arches on the Strand front, 
those representing Ocean, Thames, Humber, Mersey, Med- 
way, and Tweed were executed by Joseph Wilton ^ ; those of 
Tyne, Severn, and Dee by Agostino Carlini. The central 
mask represents Ocean in the head of a venerable man whose 
flowing beard, resembling the waves, is filled with various 
kinds of fish. On the forehead is placed a crescent, to 
denote the influence of the moon upon the waters, and 
round the temples is bound a regal tiara adorned with 
crowns, tridents, and other marks of royalty. To the 
right of Ocean is Thames, a head crowned with billing swans 
and garlands of fruits and flowers. The hair and beard 
are dressed and plaited in the nicest order, and the features 
express good-humour and urbanity. Next to Thames is 
Humber, a striking contrast, exhibiting a hardy countenance 
with beard and hair disturbed by tempests. The cheeks 
and eyes are swelled with rage, the mouth is open, and 
every feature symbolises the intractable character of the 
river. Next to Humber are Mersey and Dee, the one 

^ "The whole of the carvings in the various fronts of Somerset Place — 
excepting Bacon's bronze figures — were carved from finished drawings 
made by Cipriani." — A Guide through the Royal Academy, by Joseph 
Baretti, 1780. 

^ Or his deputy, Nathaniel Smith. The great wealth which Wilton 
inherited, at the time when his faculties were fully developed, induced 
an idle existence, devoted to splendid living rather than the practice of 
his art. Although his works are numerous, it is probable that in few of 
them he undertook more than the direct inspiration. 



204 SOMERSET HOUSE 

crowned with garlands of oak, the other with reeds. To- 
wards the left is the mask of Medway^ a head similar to that 
of Thames, but more negligently dressed, and having for 
emblems the prow of a ship of war, and festoons of hops 
and Kentish fruits. Next to Medway is Tweedy represented 
by a rustic with lank hair, rough beard, and other marks of 
simplicity. The head is crowned with a garland of roses 
and thistles. The remaining masks on the left hand repre- 
sent Tyne^ with head-dress composed of salmon, intermingled 
with kelp and other seaweeds ; and Severn^ crowned with 
sedges and cornucopias, whence flow streams of water with 
lampreys and other fish abounding in that river. 

Of the four figures fronting the attic towards the Strand, 
the two at the extremities are the work of Giuseppe 
Ceracchi, the two in the centre being due to Carlini. The 
corresponding figures on the courtyard side are by Wilton, 
who also executed the busts of Sir Isaac Newton and 
Michael Angelo which appear in the vestibule. The 
armorial decorations surmounting the attic on both the 
Strand and the interior fronts are by John Bacon. Nolle- 
kens is said to have carved five masks after drawings made 
purposely by Cipriani ; these are three keystones to the 
arches on the courtyard side of the vestibule, and two above 
the doors leading into the wings of the north block. But 
perhaps the most interesting of all the sculptures are the 
groups flanking the main doorways on three sides of the 
quadrangle, and the central doorway on the terrace. Each 
is composed of two grotesques supporting in their embrace 
a vase containing piscatory and other objects symbolical of 
the business transacted in the building. All are striking in 
conception, and exhibit in execution the plastic effects of the 
true sculptor's art. The designs were doubtless due to 
Cipriani, the execution to Wilton or Carlini. The bronze 
group on the northern side of the quadrangle is by John 
Bacon ; it was executed at a cost of over ;^ 2,000, and 




To face page 204. 



Sculpture in Couetyard. 



THE NEW BUILDING 205 

provoked Queen Charlotte to inquire of the sculptor, '*Why 
did you make so frightful a figure ? " The Queen was 
evidently a person of some judgment in artistic matters, 
but the sculptor was ready with an answer : " Art," he said, 
"cannot always effect what is ever within the reach of 
Nature — the union of beauty with majesty." 

Of the architectural importance of Somerset House there 
is no longer any question. The criticism which was 
applied to it during the period of its construction did 
not seriously affect the general verdict in its favour, nor 
diminish the influence it ultimately exercised on the more 
capable students of the English school. In recent years, 
however, it has been the subject of a somewhat confused 
chapter of praise and denunciation in the History of Modern 
Architecture^ by Mr. James Fergusson. According to this 
authority the building takes rank as " the greatest architec- 
tural work of the reign of George III." The best part of 
the design is " the north, or Strand front, an enlarged and 
improved copy of a part of the old palace built by Inigo 
Jones, and pulled down to make way for the new buildings. 
This front consists of a bold rusticated basement storey 
more than 25 feet in height, supporting a range ot 
three-quarter Corinthian columns, which are designed and 
modelled with the utmost purity and correctness ; but we 
can hardly help regretting that two storeys of windows 
should be included in the order. The arrangement, how- 
ever, is so thoroughly English that from habit it ceases to 
become offensive, and where the whole is treated with such 
taste, as in this instance, it seems almost unobjectionable. 
The three arches in the centre which form the entrance 
into the courtyard occupy quite as much of the facade 
as ought to be appropriated to this purpose, and con- 
stitute a sufficiently dignified approach to the courtyard 
beyond. 

" The south front of this portion of the structure is also 



206 SOMERSET HOUSE 

extremely pleasing ; it is so broken as to give great play 
of light and shade, thus preventing either the details or 
number of parts from appearing too small for the purposes 
to which they are applied. The great areas, too, to the 
right and left of the entrance are an immense advantage, as 
they allow the two sunk storeys to be added to the height 
of the whole. The same praise cannot be awarded to the 
other side of the court, which consists of blocks of buildings 
of 277 and 224 feet respectively, and, being under 50 feet 
in height, are proportionally much lower than the entrance 
block just described, and far too low for their length. 
They are, besides, treated with a severity singularly mis- 
applied. Except small spaces in the centre and at the 
extremities, the whole is rusticated even above the level of 
the upper windows. Such a mode of treatment might be 
excusable in an exterior of bold outline, though even then 
hardly in conjunction with a Corinthian order ; but a court- 
yard is necessarily a mezzo- termine between a room and an 
exterior, and it would generally be more excusable to treat 
it as if it might be roofed over, and so converted into an 
interior, than to design it with the cold severity which is so 
offensive here. 

" The river front, however, was Chambers's great oppor- 
tunity, but it unfortunately shows how little he was equal to 
the task he had undertaken. To treat a southern facade 
nearly 600 feet in extent in the same manner as he had treated 
a northern one only 132 feet long, would have been about 
as great a blunder as an architect ever made. In order 
to produce the same harmony of effect he ought to have 
exaggerated the size of the parts in something like the same 
proportion ; but, instead of this, both the basement and the 
order are between one-third and one-fourth less than those 
of the Strand front, though so similar as to deceive the eye. 
As if to make this capital defect even more apparent than 
it would otherwise have been, he placed a terrace 46 feet 




a- 



THE NEW BUILDING 207 

wide and of about two-thirds of the height of his main 
building in front of it ! 

" No wonder that it looks hardly as high, and is not more 
dignified than a terrace of private houses in Regent's Park 
or elsewhere. This is the more inexcusable as he had 
lOO feet of elevation available from the water's edge, 
without adding one inch to the height of his buildings, 
which was more than sufficient for architectural effect, if 
he had known how to use it. Even with the terrace as 
it is, if he had brought forward the wings only to the edge 
of the terrace, and thrown his centre back 80 or 100 feet, he 
would have improved the court immensely and given variety 
and height to the river front ; and then either with a cupola 
or some higher feature in the centre the worst defects of the 
building might have been avoided. 

" It was evident, however, that the imagination of Chambers 
could rise no higher than the conception of a square, un- 
poetic mass ; and although he was one of the most correct 
and painstaking architects of his century, we cannot regret 
that he was not employed in any churches of importance, 
and that the nobility do not seem to have patronised him to 
any great extent. He had evidently no grasp of mind 
or inventive faculty, and little knowledge of the principles 
of Art beyond what might be gathered from the works 
of Vignola and other writers with regard to the use of 
orders. This may produce correctness, but commonplace 
designs can be the only result, and this is really all that can 
be said of the works of Sir William Chambers." 

Mr. Joseph Gwilt, a frank admirer of Chambers, and 
editor of his work on The Decorative Part of Architecture^ 
does not allow the design of Somerset House to be flawless. 
He belongs to an earlier generation than Mr. Fergusson, 
a generation in which the sentiment of reverence for the 
great departed too often found free play ; yet his mis- 
givings with regard to the design, though not sufficiently 



208 SOMERSET HOUSE 

particularised, are openly stated. "It must, however, be 
admitted," he writes, " that amidst an abundance of 
architectural beauties some faults and improprieties are 
discernible. The dignity and grandeur which ought to 
prevail in a building of this character is in some degree 
weakened by the multiplicity of the parts, which too much 
interfere with each other ; and the incongruous mixture of 
rustics with the principal order, which is Corinthian, tends 
to destroy the effect its correct and beautiful proportion 
would otherwise produce. Still, after all that has been said 
upon the subject, one truth we may confidently assert, that 
by this, the most magnificent of our late public buildings. 
Sir William Chambers established a reputation of which 
it will be difficult for his opponents of the present day, or 
those of the future, to deprive him." Again : " In one 
circumstance he may be said to have been peculiarly fortu- 
nate, and especially in his great work at Somerset House. 
We allude to the excellent and superior manner in which 
his designs were carried into execution. He had judgment 
to select, and good sense to attach to him by aifability and 
courtesy, such practical men as were mainly to contribute to 
his own future reputation." In another place, Mr. Gwilt 
observes : " We believe that whatever was done to forward 
the Arts during the reign of George III. owes a large 
portion of its effect to that celebrated man (Sir William 
Chambers). . . . We intend here chiefly to restrict our- 
selves to a short account of Somerset House, his largest 
work, in which, though there be many faults, so well did he 
understand his art that it is a matter of no ordinary 
difficulty, and indeed requires hypercriticism to find any- 
thing offensive to good taste in the detail." A more 
discerning, and not less expert, critic than either Mr. 
Fergusson or Mr. Gwilt is Mr. Reginald Blomfield, who, 
in his Renaissance Architecture in England, devotes con- 
siderable space to an examination of Somerset House. 



THE NEW BUILDING 209 

*' Chambers's task," he writes, " was one of great difficulty. 
He had only a narrow frontage to the Strand in advance 
of his main area, though on the south side he had a 
magnificent frontage to the river. Moreover, Chambers 
had to provide sets of offices for various Government 
departments, and other purposes, on a scale hitherto never 
attempted in England. These problems he solved with 
consummate success." Of the river front, Mr, Blomfield 
remarks : " There is possibly a certain confusion and weak- 
ness in putting a single archway under a heavy colonnade ; 
but the light and shade of the design is extremely effective, 
and it is one of the few places in London that suggest the 
mighty loggias of Italy. . . . With all its merits — and the 
river front is one of the really great public buildings in London 
— Somerset House is open to much criticism. Chambers's 
work is always a little forced and over-conscious ; the 
consequence is that it is unequal, and fails of that organic 
relationship which binds every detail of the work of archi- 
tects of strong natural genius. For instance, the main 
entrance from the Strand passes under a vaulting carried by 
two rows of coupled Doric columns. In itself this is a very 
accomplished piece of classical detail, but it has no relation 
whatever to the rusticated ground storey of the Strand 
front, and Chambers has not even attempted to get over 
the difficulty of combining the two. It seems evident that 
Chambers thought out the design bit by bit ; that he worked 
not from the whole down to the details, but upwards from 
the details to the whole — one of the worst features of 
modern architecture. . . . His work lacks vitality ; and 
while it steers clear of the frippery of the Adams, it does 
not possess the vigour of Jones or Wren. They had 
a power of convincing the mind that their architecture 
was human and individual, and the expression of an artistic 
personahty ; these things failed in Chambers. He had 
one supreme merit : he declined to give way to the pre- 

14 



210 SOMERSET HOUSE 

vailing dilettantism, and adhered strictly to the true classic 
tradition." 

Both Mr. Fergusson and Mr. Gwilt were men of wide 
experience and acknowledged authority ; indeed, so far as 
the former is concerned, scarcely an edifice of interest exists 
which he did not make the subject of careful study. But 
we find in their remarks the flavour of a too academic 
interest ; and it is evident from a comparison of the passages 
quoted that on the vital question of general proportions 
their views did not accord. By no method can the sense of 
" correct and beautiful " proportion be discovered to a mind 
ungifted with the faculty of harmonious insight ; nor can 
the abstraction of beauty present itself in a more elusive shape 
than this in which it governs the indeterminable relation- 
ships of architecture with an apparent mathematical exacti- 
tude. Mr. Fergusson sees one thing, Mr. Gwilt another : 
which is the true architect ? The vigour with which the 
former attacked the river facade carried him somewhat beyond 
his critical intention, and his remarks become suggestive 
rather of a magnificence which might have been achieved 
under his own direction than of the faults discernible in the 
actual edifice. Somerset House is the work of Sir William 
Chambers, deliberately planned as we see it to-day ; and 
if the river facade be not so bold and free as another would 
have it, doubtless it was designed to achieve the effect it 
presents. Nor is that effect such as should provoke an 
impatient criticism. Without asserting that the severity 
of its outline is preferable to the more flamboyant com- 
position suggested by Mr. Fergusson, it is nevertheless 
unquestionable that the existing facade is one of exceptional 
beauty ; and after all, the effect of the hypothetical case 
would depend upon the taste and architectural skill with 
which it was carried out. The very monotony of the river 
front secures a certain largeness of manner which might be 
wanting in a more irregular structure ; and in designing 



THE NEW BUILDING 211 

it Chambers appears purposely to have denied himself the 
cheap success of a theatrical arrangement, and striven after 
an effect which should be at once solemn and magnificent. 
Far from being a building of " square unpoetic mass," 
every part of it demonstrates the architect's chastened 
feeling for the subtler qualities of design, and is only 
unpoetic to minds which are themselves unpoetic. Again, 
Mr. Fergusson's condemnation of the effect of diminished 
height, seen when the main structure is regarded as rising 
from the level of the terrace, cannot be supported. To- 
day, as the pedestrian proceeds from the Strand across 
Waterloo Bridge, the " capital defect " of which he com- 
plains is indeed visible for a few moments in the sharp 
perspective of the terrace ; but until the building of Water- 
loo Bridge (1811-1817), practically the only view of the 
southern facade obtainable was that from the river, and it 
was to satisfy the spectator passing in a boat that the 
architect essayed. Examined from this point the criticism 
loses its force, as the height of the terrace naturally 
supplements that of the superstructure, and a majestic 
edifice results. Mr. Fergusson was perhaps so unfor- 
tunate as never to observe the river fa9ade from the 
right bank of the Thames at noonday in summer when it 
glistens opalescent in the brilliant heat, or at midnight 
in winter when the moon strikes pale upon its bleaching 
outlines and the design stands out in the stillness white like 
a palace of snow. 

Here, perhaps, we may fitly recall the observations of 
*' Henri " Taine, the famous French critic and historian 
of English literature. About the middle of last cen- 
tury, during one of his visits to London, he inspected 
Somerset House, and in his pleasantest vein recorded an 
impression : — 

" A frightful thing is the huge palace in the Strand which 
is called Somerset House. Massive and heavy piece of 



212 SOMERSET HOUSE 

architecture of which the hollows are inked, the porticos 
blackened with soot, where in the cavity of the empty court 
is a sham fountain without water, pools of water on the 
pavement and long rows of closed windows — what can they 
possibly do in these catacombs ? It seems as if the livid 
and sooty fog had even befouled the verdure of the parks. 
But what most offend the eyes are the colonnades, peristyles, 
Grecian ornaments, mouldings, and wreaths of the houses 
all bathed in soot — poor antique architecture, what is it 
doing in such a climate ? " 

This observation was natural enough for a Frenchman 
in London on a dismal and wet October day. He remem- 
bered the splendour of the Tuileries and the Louvre, where 
with a less durable stone than that of Somerset House 
something of the original cleanliness is preserved. But 
objectionable as it is to humanity, the grime of the London 
atmosphere is nevertheless kind in its own way to a building 
like Somerset House. The facades would never look as 
white as they do without the coating of soot which gathers 
upon the sheltered spaces and so intensifies the comparative 
cleanliness of every exposed feature. 

In the vestibule, however, where no rain can penetrate, 
not a word can be said for the soot which by this time has 
stained the stone and pitilessly spoiled its charm of light and 
shade. This is the more unfortunate because here we find 
the most delicate work in the whole building, a piece of 
architectural scenery unsurpassed in London. Mr. Blom- 
field refers to it approvingly as an accomplished piece of 
classical detail unrelated to the Strand facade, but in that 
observation he fails to do justice to its gracefulness and the 
complex beauty of its construction. It is obvious, moreover, 
that the architect considered it as an interior which it was 
unnecessary to correlate with the Strand facade : it was the 
hall of entrance' of the Royal Academy, and earned its 
designer many tributes from the men who gathered there. 




The Vestibule. 



To face page 212. 



THE NEAV BUILDING 213 

Like all Chambers's work, it is executed with a perfection 
which in itself is almost poetic, and whether or not it be 
considered a digression from the dominant theme, it claims 
unstinted admiration. 

Notwithstanding certain defects and the recurrent on- 
slaught of intemperate criticism, Somerset House has 
remained the chief exemplar in England of the Classic style 
applied to secular needs. Even the modern craze for light, 
with the consequent enlarging of window spaces, has not 
involved an essential change of style. Palladian forms are 
not less serviceable now than when the basilica of Vicenza was 
built nearly four hundred years ago, and no insuperable 
reason exists why the modern commercial palace should not 
compete in graceful nobility with that primordial structure. 
Chambers, indeed, may have erred on the side of austerity, 
may even sometimes have failed to impart the warmth of 
vitality to his chaste and scholarly design, but had he lived 
in our day we might have been spared the uncouth forms 
and clumsy adornment which begin to be flaunted in the 
neighbourhood of his greatest work. 



CHAPTER VI 



ITS TENANTS 



I78O-I85O 



THE earliest occupants of the new building were the 
members of the Royal Academy. That institution 
had been embodied under the direct patronage of George III. 
in 1768, and from the outset of its career enjoyed His 
Majesty's support. In 177 1, as we have already seen, the 
Academy was granted the use of the State apartments in the 
old palace, and from that time its activities were centred 
in Somerset House. The annual exhibition of pictures, 
however, continued to be held at the old rooms in Pall Mall, 
until it was transferred to apartments specially designed for 
its reception in the north block of the new building in 
the Strand, and opened there on May i, 1780. In this 
way the Royal Academy forms the only link between the 
present and the past, with the exception of certain unim- 
portant relics of the old palace soon to be noticed, ^ The 
Academy was followed by the Royal Society and the Society 

^ It is to be observed, however, that Sir William Chambers, the archi- 
tect of Somerset House, played an important part both in the inception of 
the Academy and the subsequent conduct of its business. At one of the 
earliest meetings of the Academicians a resolution was adopted, thanking 
him "for his active and able conduct in planning and forming the 
Royal Academy." 




imi::inrTn:rxOTi can 




References 

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F AudU Office 

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JJ Ifavy Ufjfia- 

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M le^a,y J>uey Ofila. 

1- N {^roag ifTiaures 




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Plan of the Work executed by Sir Wm. Chambers. 



To face page 215. 



ITS TENANTS 215 

of Antiquaries, the former holding its first meeting in 
the new rooms on November 30, 1780, the latter on 
January 11, 1 7 8 1 . 

More than four years now elapsed before any other part 
of the building was ready for use. It was not until 
July 5, 1785, that the Audit Office began its tenancy in 
the east wing, which on completion also provided space 
for the offices of the Duchies of Cornwall and Lancaster, 
the Tax Office, the Salt Office, the Pipe Office, and the 
office of the Clerk of Estreats. By the end of 1789 the 
Stamp Office, the Navy Office, the Navy Pay Office, the 
Victualling Office, and the Sick and Wounded Office had 
been housed in the south and west blocks; the Legacy Duty, 
the Hawkers and Pedlars, the Exchequer, Lottery, Privy 
Seal and Signet, and Hackney Coach Offices in the wings of 
the north block. Later still a row of official residences 
facing the rear of the west wing was finished for the con- 
venience of the Treasurer of the Navy, the Comptroller of 
the Navy, the three Commissioners and the Secretary to the 
Navy Board, and the Chairman, the two Commissioners, 
and the Secretary of the Victualling Department. What in 
those days were the doorways of these residences are now 
windows in the rear of the Inland Revenue Office, Lancaster 
Place : they are readily recognised by their pediments and 
stone dressings, and correspond in these particulars with 
doorways (now windows) in the rear of the west wing. 
Then the space between the two wings on the west was not 
dug out, but appeared much as the space between the east 
wing and King's College appears to-day, and led pedestrians 
either to the public promenade on the terrace facing the 
Thames, or, by a subway, to the water's edge. 

From Joseph Baretti's Guiae through the Royal Academy^ 
published in 1780, we copy the following account of the pur- 
poses which it was at first proposed Sir William Chambers' 
scheme should fulfil in addition to providing apartments for 



216 SOMERSET HOUSE 

the Royal Academy, Royal Society, and Society of Antiquaries 
in the north block. " The remainder of the building was to 
contain many public offices, with houses and apartments for 
a great number of officers and servants belonging to them, 
whose residence has been judged necessary for the more 
regular and expeditious despatch of business. The principal 
of these are the Privy Seal and Signet Offices ; the Navy 
Office ; Navy Pay ; Victualling ; Sick and Wounded ; 
Ordnance ; Stam.p ; Lottery ; Salt-tax ; Hackney Coach ; 
and Hawkers and Pedlars Offices ; also the Surveyor-General 
of Crown Lands Office ; the Duchies of Cornwall and 
Lancaster ; the two auditors of Imprests ; the Pipe Office, 
and Comptroller of the Pipe ; the Clerk of the Estreats 
and Treasurer's Remembrancer's Offices. The King's 
barge houses are likewise to be comprehended in the plan, 
with a dwelling for the Barge Master ; besides houses for the 
Treasurer, the Paymaster, and six Commissioners of the 
Navy ; for three Commissioners of the Victualling and their 
Secretary ; for one Commissioner of the Stamps, and one 
of the Sick and Wounded ; with commodious apartments in 
every office for a secretary or some other acting officer ; 
and for a porter and their families." 

A considerable curtailment of the original plan was, 
however, adopted during its execution. As first de- 
signed, the site of the old palace did not by any means 
comprise the entire ground plan of the new erections, 
which would have included the greater part of the Savoy on 
the west and the space now occupied by Surrey and Norfolk 
Streets on the east.^ The passage quoted indicates how much 
importance was formerly attached to the punctual and con- 
tinuous attendance of the principal officers of the various 
Government departments ; and that residential accommo- 
dation was liberally supplied, the domestic character of the 

'■ See Vestiges, by Joseph Moser, in the European Magazine for August, 
1802. 



ITS TENANTS 217 

rooms in the upper floors of the building now used as 
offices clearly demonstrates. 

When old Somerset House was relinquished by the Crown 
the King reserved to himself the right to appropriate suffi- 
cient space in the new building for the reception of the 
Royal Academy, the Royal Society, and the Society of 
Antiquaries, in all of which institutions he appears to have 
been actively interested. The apartments destined for the 
use of these societies were specially designed to meet their 
requirements, and embellished in a manner befitting their 
state and dignity. A letter from the Government, handing 
over to the Academy the parts of the building it was to 
occupy, exhibits a curious interest of identity, when it is 
remembered that the Treasurer of the Academy was none 
other than Sir William Chambers himself. 

*' Treasury Chambers, 

" nth April, 1780. 
"Sir, — The Lords Commissioners of his Majesty's 
Treasury having taken into consideration your letter of 
the 27th March, stating that the apartments allotted 
to the Royal Academy in the new building at Somerset 
House are now completely finished, and that His 
Majesty has directed this year's exhibition of pictures 
to be there ; and desiring to have an order for deliver- 
ing up the same either to the President the Council 
or to the Treasurer of the Academy, who is by 
virtue of his office to have the inspection and care both of 
the buildings and all other his Majesty's effects employed in 
that institution : I am commanded by their Lordships to 
direct you to deliver up into the hands of the Treasurer of 
the Royal Academy all apartments allotted to his Majesty's 
said Academy in the new building at Somerset House, 
which are to be appropriated to the purposes specified 
in the several plans of the same heretofore settled. And 



218 SOMERSET HOUSE 

you are to signify to the officers of the Academy that they, 
their families, servants, tradesmen and visitors are to use for 
their apartments the stair of communication only, and not 
to use the great stair for any common purposes. And as 
the residence of the Secretary in the Academy is an indul- 
gence lately proposed, which upon trial may be found 
inconvenient or the rooms he occupies be hereafter wanted 
for other purposes, you are to signify that he holds the 
same merely at pleasure, to be resumed whenever it shall be 
thought proper. And to the end that all the parts of the 
new building may be preserved in good repair, clean, un- 
damaged, and undisfigured, you are strictly to direct and 
order that no tubs or pots of earth, either with or without 
flowers, trees, creepers, or other shrubs, be placed in the 
gutters of the said buildings or upon the roofs and parapets, 
or upon the court areas or windows, niches, or any other 
aperture of the same ; and also that no plaster, paper, or 
other thing be put up, plastered, or pasted against any of 
the walls thereof under any pretence whatever. And you 
are further to direct that on no account whatever any 
change shall be made in the destination of the apartments 
appropriated to the public use, nor any alteration either in 
those or any others that are or shall be inhabited by any of 
the officers or servants without the approbation of this 
Board, and that no person be permitted to let or lend their 
apartments under any pretext whatever. 
" I am Sir, 

" Your most humble servant, 

" John Robinson. 
"To Sir William Chambers." 

On receipt of the letter Sir William Chambers the 
architect evidently did not delay to put Sir William 
Chambers the treasurer in possession of the building. By 
the end of the month everything was in readiness for the 



I 




o 

i 



ITS TENANTS 219 

exhibition. Even in those days the banquet had become a 
recognised prelude to the opening of the galleries ; men of 
eminence in all the walks of life were brought together to 
listen to the presidential oratory and to felicitate one another 
on the success of another year's work ; while the world of 
London awaited the event as a signal of the opened season. 
The dinner list for the inauguration was increased from 
sixty-four to ninety covers, and the table was laid in the 
great gallery where the pictures of the exhibition were already 
hung. Dr. Johnson, writing in his diary for Mrs. Thrale, has 
left us an impression of the banquet : '* The Exhibition ! 
how will you do either to see or not to see ? The Exhibition 
is eminently splendid. There is contour and keeping and 
grace and expression, and all the varieties of artificial excel- 
lence. The apartments were truly very noble. The 
pictures for the sake of a skylight are at the top of the 
house : there we dined ; and I sat over against the Arch- 
bishop of York." 

The galleries were opened to the public on May ist, 
and a fashionable throng visited them daily. The re- 
moval to Somerset House proved a splendid advertisement 
for the Academy, the large increase in the number of visitors 
to the exhibition which followed it doubtless being due to 
the prevailing curiosity aroused by the new building. The 
receipts for the season totalled ^3,069 is., or ^^ 1,700 more 
than in the preceding year, and now for the first time the 
Academy was placed on a sound financial basis. Hitherto 
it had been largely dependent on the personal generosity of 
the King, who in the first twelve years of its existence con- 
tributed over j^ 5,000 towards the expenses ; but from the 
day of its coming to Somerset House it began to grow rich. 
The exhibition which marks the turning-point in its fortunes 
included 489 pictures by the most eminent artists of the 
time ; among them were Reynolds, Gainsborough, Richard 
Wilson, Benjamin West, Stothard, Beechey, Cosway, and de 



220 SOMERSET HOUSE 

Loutherbourg. Reynolds was represented by his portrait 
of Miss Beauclerk as " Una " in the Faerie Clueene^ by 
others of Gibbon the historian, Lady Beaumont, a full length 
of Prince Frederick William, son of the Duke of Gloucester, 
and by his design of " Justice " for the window of New 
College ; Gainsborough had sent both portraits and land- 
scapes ; and Benjamin West several royal portraits, pictures 
of classic subjects, and representations of the Battle of the 
Boyne and the action off La Hogue. Horace Walpole 
notes in his catalogue of this exhibition : " Fine exhibition, 
with excellent pictures by Gainsborough, and several good 
by Sir Joshua Reynolds, Loutherbourg, ZofFany, Wright, 
and others. N.B. — Mr. Romney, now in great vogue, sent 
none of his pictures." But the secession of Mr. Romney 
affected neither his own popularity nor that of the Academy. 

As a teaching centre where students could receive educa- 
tion under masters of acknowledged quality, the Academy 
had already proved its value. The School began its activi- 
ties in the new quarters on October i6, 1780, and Sir 
Joshua Reynolds took opportunity in his preliminary 
address to the students to acknowledge the King's 
generosity and to pay tribute of praise to Sir William 
Chambers : — 

" The honour which the Arts acquire by being permitted 
to take possession of this noble habitation is one of the most 
considerable of the many instances we have received of His 
Majesty's protection, and the strongest proof of his desire to 
make the Academy respectable. 

'* Nothing has been left undone that might contribute to 
excite our pursuit or to reward our attainments. We have 
already the happiness of seeing the Arts in a state to which 
they never before arrived in this nation. This building in 
which we are now assembled will remain to many future 
ages an illustrious specimen of the architect's abilities. It 
is our duty to endeavour that those who gaze with wonder 



ITS TENANTS 221 

at the structure may not be disappointed when they visit the 
apartments. It will be no small addition to the glory which 
this nation has already acquired from having given birth to 
eminent men in every part of science, if it should be enabled 
to produce in consequence of this institution a school of 
English artists." 

Assuredly there was little now wanting to make the 
Academy "respectable." Its close connection with the 
Crown secured it a social standing of a very definite kind, 
and soon the students who were privileged to work under 
its guidance enjoyed the stimulus of magnificent surround- 
ings. Reynolds, Angelica Kauffmann, Cipriani, Benjamin 
West, Biaggio Rebecca, and Charles Catton among painters, 
Joseph Wilton, Nollekens, Carlini, and Locatelli among 
sculptors, joined forces with the architect in the adornment 
of the new apartments. 

The doorway from the open vestibule led to a hall of 
entrance some 25 feet square, in which at one time stood 
casts of Hercules, the Furietti centaurs, an Apollo, and 
several busts. Leading out of this hall on the right were 
the Secretary's office and the " academy of living models," 
in which during the annual exhibition sculptures and 
drawings were placed on view. These apartments were 
unadorned except by a frieze modelled in plaster. On one 
side the hall was open to the principal staircase, from which 
it was separated by a screen of fluted Doric columns. From 
the first landing, but five steps above the floor of the hall, 
a Doric vestibule was visible in the basement storey. This 
led to the Keeper's apartments and shut out the view of the 
back stairs. At the mezzanine floor was exhibited a painting 
by Cipriani en grisaille^ imitating bas-relief, and symbolical 
of the Arts and Sciences. The library was accommodated 
on the first floor in a room which, though not large, gained 
character and charm from its well-proportioned height and 
coved ceiling. The chimney-piece was of marble, richly 



222 SOMERSET HOUSE 

carved with arabesque and emblematic ornament by Signer 
Locatelli. Upon it was placed a pedestal, on the die of 
which was the oval bas-relief of Cupid and Psyche given by 
Nollekens on his election to the Academy. ^ The pedestal 
carried a bust of George III., the founder of the Academy, 
executed by Carlini ; and other busts and models were dis- 
posed about the room. The doors were elaborately carved, 
and the walls, finished in stucco and decorated in parti- 
coloured compartments, terminated in a cornice, from which 
sprang the coved ceiling. The central panel of the ceiling 
was painted by Sir Joshua Reynolds : it represented a draped 
figure seated upon clouds and displaying a scroll with the 
legend, " Theory is knowledge of what is truly Nature." 
This magnificent work is still to be seen at Burlington House. 
The four compartments in the coves were contributed by 
the generous Cipriani. They were designed to illustrate 
Nature, History, Allegory, and Fable, the sources whence 
the chisel and the pencil derive their subjects of representa- 
tion. The compartment over the chimney-piece depicts 
History in a majestic figure seated on the earth, the theatre 
of her inquiries. Before her is Fame, carrying her trumpet 
and supporting a shield, on which with one hand she 
engraves past events, while in the other she displays the 
Book of Truth. In the background are grouped genii 
studying a globe. The compartment over the windows 
symbolises Fable in the Phoenix, the Pegasus, the Sphinx, 
the Satyr, the Gorgon's head, and other fanciful monsters, 
which are here composed with genii masks and the various 
instruments of ancient ceremonials — all allusions to the 
principal fables and poetic fancies of Homer, Ovid, and 
other poets of antiquity. Over the door of entrance 
Nature is represented in the figure of a beautiful girl 
suckling a child and unveiling herself to the studious 
gaze of genii employed in the delineation of her charms. 

* Now in the Diploma Gallery at Burlington House. 



ITS TENANTS 223 

She leans upon a cornucopia, whence issue animals, fruits, 
grain, vegetables, and flowers, in the examination of which 
other genii are closely engaged. Above the other door of 
the room, and facing the windows, is the representation of 
Allegory. Here genii and animals are used to typify 
Navigation, Commerce, and Maritime Fortune ; Wisdom 
chastises Vice and suppresses Ignorance ; Victory symbolises 
the qualities which are conducive to the felicity and grandeur 
of the state, the various figures being distinguished by such 
marks and emblems as the ingenuity of former times 
invented to explain their significance. 

Adjoining the library on the north side was the Antique 
academy, with its collection of casts and models. It was 
undecorated except in its coved ceiling, the four angles of 
which had ornaments composed of floral garlands surround- 
ing the cipher R.A., interwoven with the compass, the 
chisel, and the brush. A picture of this room by Johann 
Zoffany, showing a group of students at work by lamplight, 
hangs in the staircase of the Diploma Gallery at Burlington 
House. 

The Antique academy opened into the Council Chamber 
(also known as the Lecture Room), an apartment measuring 
40 feet by 25 feet, well proportioned as to height, and 
splendidly adorned. The door, windows, architrave, and 
cornice were richly carved. The chimney-pieces were 
executed in fine marble by Joseph Wilton. The ceiUng 
was an original composition of great beauty, in which orna- 
mental sculpture, painting, and gilding each played an 
important part. The architect, mindful of the purpose the 
room would serve, spent great pains upon the design, which 
was rich and well composed, one part being developed 
naturally from another in the achievement of a single 
scheme. In the execution of the stucco ornament, both in 
this ceiling and in others throughout the building, the 
modelling is admirable ; indeed, the work exhibits a truth, 



224 SOMERSET HOUSE 

and vitality, which could only have been secured by a fine 
executant working under the immediate inspiration of the 
designer himself. 

The central compartment of this ceiling and four panels 
surrounding it were painted by Benjamin West. They 
showed " the Graces unveiling Nature," and four female 
figures attended by genii, emblematic of the elements 
— Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. Four circular panels by 
Biaggio Rebecca depicted the heads of Apollodorus the 
architect, Phidias the sculptor, Archimedes the mathema- 
tician, and Apelles the painter ; and eight smaller ones by 
the same hand contained chiaroscuro medallions of Palladio, 
Bernini, Michael Angelo, Titian, Domenichino, Fiamingo, 
Raphael, and Rubens. At each end were two oval panels 
by Angelica KauiFmann, representing " Genius," a figure 
leaning on a celestial globe, and expressing the rapture of 
invention ; " Design " drawing from the torso ; " Compo- 
sition," with chessboard and other emblems ; and " Painting " 
taking her colours from the rainbow. Over one of the fire- 
places was a model of His Majesty George III. on horseback, 
by Carlini, and over the other a cast of a flayed horse, the 
original of which is in Rome. At the end of the room, 
fronting the door, hung Sir Joshua's full-length portraits of 
their Majesties ; near them Copley's " Samuel and Eli " ; 
over the fireplace at one end. West's " Raising of Lazarus " ; 
in the right-hand corner. Mason Chamberlain's portrait 
of Dr. Hunter, the famous physiologist and professor of 
anatomy at the Academy ; next to it, Reynolds' portrait of 
himself, and by the side of this, his portrait of Sir William 
Chambers ; next the door on the right was Dominic Serres' 
picture of the relief of Gibraltar by Rodney, in 1780. 
These pictures for the most part represent the beginning 
of the Diploma Gallery, which was instituted in 1770 and 
has since been enriched by a contribution of one work 
exacted from each Academician on his election. 




Ceiling of Council Chamber. 



To face pag-e 224. 



ITS TENANTS 225 

Returning to the staircase, the attic floor is reached by two 
flights of steps, above the half-space of which was hung a 
large painting en grisaille by Cipriani, representing Minerva 
visiting the Muses on Mount Parnassus, and displaying the 
fine instinct for the antique which so distinguished Cipriani's 
work. 

At one end of the landing on the attic floor was an 
entrance to the apartments occupied by the keeper ; at the 
other, one communicating with those used by the Secretary ; 
and in the centre, a further entrance leading through an 
open screen of columns to the exhibition rooms. The 
ante-room, 25 feet square by 19 feet high, comprehended 
both the attic and garret storeys. The doorway between 
this room and the Great Room was a composition, partly 
real and partly painted, corresponding with the entrance 
from the staircase to the ante-room. Circular niches 
containing ancient busts answered to the circular windows 
on the opposite side, and pilasters to the opposite columns. 
The entablature was the same, as was likewise a panel 
occupying part of it, upon which was painted in chiaroscuro 
a " Sacrifice to Minerva," the counterpart of a similar 
painting of the " Marriage of Cupid and Psyche " on the 
other. Above the order was depicted an open window with 
a distant sky seen through it ; and before the window a 
group in chiaroscuro showing Painting and Sculpture 
supporting a medallion of their Majesties. This group, as 
well as the two panels, was the work of John Francis 
Rigaud, R.A. 

Over the doorway leading to the exhibition was 
an inscription in Greek characters, OYAEIS AM0YS02 
EISITQ — Let none enter but such as love the Muses. The 
Great Room measured 53 feet long by 43 feet wide, and 
32 feet high including the lantern, a remarkable piece of 
construction, supported on strong trusses concealed in the 
coves of the room, and in the divisions of the four Diocle- 

15 



226 SOMERSET HOUSE 

sian windows. The whole was framed of timber and 
sheathed on the outside in copper. It was indeed a 
splendidly - lighted and magnificent apartment. The 
decorations were few. At the four angles of the 
ceiling were chiaroscuro groups of boys engaged in the 
arts of painting, sculpture, architecture, and geometry. 
These filled the spandrils of a large oval foliage frame 
enclosing a space in which was seen a well-executed sky. 
This ornament was by Charles Catton, one of the 
foundation members of the Academy. 

On the same floor as the exhibition rooms was a room 
used for the School of Painting. 

For fifty-seven years the Academy held its exhibitions at 
Somerset House, and the most eminent men and women in 
the land gathered there as spectators. Prosperity came 
without bidding, and very soon the space which had been 
deemed ample became cramped and inadequate. Scores of 
canvases were rejected yearly, and the President and Council 
were deluged with appeals from the unfortunate artists just 
as their successors are to-day. Even the great Dr. Johnson 
was reduced to making intercession for a painter friend 
whose work had been " crowded out," and counted 
himself fortunate that his appeal was allowed. 

To this early period of the Academy's tenancy at 
Somerset House belongs the well-known series of water- 
colour drawings by H. Ramberg, Not long ago three 
drawings of the exhibition of 1784 were brought to light, 
and there can be little doubt from their strong resemblance 
to the engravings after Ramberg of the exhibitions of 1787 
and 1788 that they represent his work ; and their existence 
indicates a probability that similar drawings were made of 
the exhibition in other years. The prints possess great 
interest in reference to the costume of the period, and have 
also been of service in determining the authorship of many 
portraits doubtfully masquerading under the distinguished 




3 's 



ITS TENANTS 227 

names of Reynolds and Gainsborough. The print of 1787 
is a charming example. It shows Sir Joshua's Prince of 
Wales in the place of honour ; his Lady St. Asaph hangs 
a little to the left, under Beach's portrait of the famous 
Tattersall. The portrait of Boswell is on the line at the 
extreme left, that of Sir H. Englefield balancing it on the 
right. Under Opie's Rizzio hangs the famous painting 
of cherubs' heads now in the National Gallery. In the 
middle of the throng of visitors stands the Prince of Wales 
in conversation with Sir Joshua, who, as usual, carries an ear- 
trumpet. 

But the Academy's success did not come unattended. 
The interest aroused by the exhibition of 1781 produced 
the first of a crop of abusive satires reflecting on the 
Academy as an institution, and indulging in more daring 
references of a personal kind. The Earwig: An old 
woman s remarks on the exhibition of the Royal Academy^ 
was followed by Lyric Odes to the Royal Academicians for 
1782, by Peter Pindar^ Esquire^ a distant relation to the 
■poet of Thebes and Laureate to the Academy ^ ^ These 
odes took Society by surprise, and the justice of some of 

^ As a specimen of the Lyric Odes we print three stanzas alluding 
to the new building at Somerset House : — 

"Say shall yon dome stupendous rise, 

Striking with Attic front the skies, 
The nursing dame of many a painting ape ; 

And I immortal rhyme refuse 

To tell the Nations round the news, 
And make posterity with wonder gape ? 

Spirit of cousin Pindar, ho ! 

By all thy odes the world shall know 
That Chambers planned it ; be his name revered ! 

Sir William's journeymen and tools 

(No pupils of the Chinese schools) 
With stone, and wood, and lime the fabric reared. 

Thus having put the Knight in rhyme. 

Stone, men, and timber, tools and lime, 
Now let us see what this rare dome contains ; 

Where rival artists for a name. 

Bit by that glorious mad-dog Fame, 
Have fixed the labours of their brush and brains." 



228 SOMERSET HOUSE 

the criticisms, the recklessness of the personalities, and the 
novelty of the style made them exceedingly popular, and at 
the same time swelled the stream of visitors to Somerset 
House. Their author, Dr. John Wolcott, a disappointed 
physician, was so much encouraged by his new venture, that 
more odes appeared in 1783, 1785, and 1786 ; and these 
were succeeded by yet other squibs : The Bee^ or the 
Exhibition exhibited in a new lights or a complete catalogue 
raisonne for 1788, and in 1791 The Royal Academy^ or 
a touchstone to the present exhibition^ by Anthony Touchstone. 
While Society was thus refreshing itself with mild scandal, 
the objects of the Academy were assiduously promoted by 
its members, and biennially, at the distribution of prizes 
to the students of the schools, were delivered the best 
of Sir Joshua Reynolds' Discourses. The well-known 
valedictory pronouncement made on December 10, 1790, 
brought together a crowded assembly in the great Ex- 
hibition Room at the top of the building, and was the 
occasion of a remarkable incident. As the President rose 
to begin his address, a beam supporting the floor gave 
way with a loud crash. People rushed to the doors and 
the sides of the room in great confusion and alarm. Sir 
Joshua, however, sat silent and unmoved ; and as the floor 
had sunk but little, and only in one part, it was soon 
propped, and the audience resumed their seats. Then with 
perfect composure the President began to speak. The 
address, delivered in the graceful and melodious style of 
which he had the secret, was full of valuable advice to the 
students ; but over all there seemed to hang the gloom of 
departure, and many among the audience must have heard a 
fatal warning in the closing words : " My age and my 
infirmities make it probable that this will be the last time I 
shall have the honour of addressing you from this place. . . . 
I reflect, not without vanity, that these discourses bear 
testimony of my admiration of that truly divine man (his 



ITS TENANTS 229 

favourite among the Italian masters) ; and I should desire that 
the last words which I should pronounce in this Academy 
and from this place should be the name of Michael Angelo." 
A dramatic moment followed. Edmund Burke, who 
figured in the throng of illustrious persons present, stepped 
forward as Reynolds descended from the reading-desk, and 
grasping his hand, spoke Milton's lines : 

" The Angel ended ; and in Adam's ear 
So charming left his voice, that he awhile 
Thought him still speaking, still stood fixed to hear." 

The voice which Burke admired was not heard again in 
that hall. Reynolds died at his house in Leicester Square 
on February 23, 1792. His executors, Burke, Malone, 
and Metcalfe, at once approached Sir William Chambers 
with a suggestion that the body should be laid in state at 
Somerset House. Chambers, as trustee of the building, 
raised objection on the ground that such a ceremony could 
not be permitted under the terms of the trust ; whereupon 
the King intervened with an order that the proposal should 
be carried out. Accordingly on Friday, March 2nd, the 
body was carried to the Antique Room, which had been 
draped with black and lighted by wax lights set in silver 
sconces. Next morning at 10.30 the members of the 
Academy assembled in the Exhibition Room, the pall-bearers 
and other distinguished men in the Council Chamber and 
the Library. The procession started at 12.30, and the 
first of the ninety-one carriages which followed reached St. 
Paul's before the last had left the quadrangle at Somerset 
House. The pall-bearers were the Dukes of Dorset, Leeds, 
and Portland, the Marquises of Townshend and Abercorn, 
the Earls of Carlisle, Inchiquin, and Ossory, Viscount 
Palmerston, and Lord Eliot. The whole body of the 
Academy and the students, and sixty of the most dis- 
tinguished men of England were present at the interment in 



230 SOMERSET HOUSE 

the crypt of St. Paul's near the grave of Wren ; and the 
sense of loss extended even to the crowds which lined the 
streets. " Never," wrote Burke, " was a funeral attended 
with so much sincere concern of all sorts of people." 

Soon after this event, and probably not long before the 
death of Sir William Chambers, the irrepressible Anthony 
Pasquin again applied his acrid satire to the building 
operations at Somerset House. His remarks are not as 
a rule distinguished either by knowledge or good taste, 
but they are often lively enough to be entertaining. . His 
reference to the incidents of Reynolds' valedictory discourse 
shall represent his quality : 

"That part of this inconsistent lapidific accumulation 
which is appropriated to the polite arts is admitted to 
be unexceptionable. The principal room, dedicated to 
the purposes of lectureship and the annual exhibition, 
cannot be approached except by a spiral staircase as high 
as Jacob's ladder ; which, luckily for the lecturer and 
the exhibitors, turns the heads of the visitors before they 
can either hear or examine. In Sir Joshua Reynolds' 
presidency the floor gave way and sank many inches, 
when Burke and a few more of the illuminati were 
eagerly listening to a theme they could not comprehend. 
The company shrieked, Burke prayed, and the gods 
suspended the mischief. It is piteous that all these 
disasters had not occurred more recently, as then the 
erratic Swede might have imputed them to a partial 
shock from Brothers' predicted earthquake, and thus 
have covered his honour by coming in for a slice of 
the alarming prophecy." 

Sir Joshua Reynolds was succeeded in the presidency 
by Sir Benjamin West, West by Sir Thomas Lawrence, 
and Lawrence by Sir Martin Archer Shee ; but excepting 
these changes in the 'personnel of the Academy, the advent 
of new members and the disappearance of the old, little 




> i; 



ITS TENANTS 231 

can be recorded of the gradual progress of the institution. 
In 1783 George Michael Moser, chaser and enameller, 
enthusiastic supporter and first keeper of the Academy, 
died in his rooms at Somerset House. He was succeeded 
by Carlini, who, it is said, used to walk from his house in 
St. Marylebone to his office at the Academy smoking 
a broken clay pipe and clad in deplorable clothes. On 
state occasions, however, Carlini could dress with the 
best of them. He invariably arrived at the annual banquet 
in a sedan chair, and wearing a purple silk coat and 
breeches, scarlet gold-laced waistcoat, point-lace ruffle, 
sword and bag. Joseph Wilton, the sculptor, was elected 
keeper in 1790. He occupied the official apartments, 
and died there on the 25th of November, 1803. Often 
during his tenancy at Somerset House he might have 
been seen perambulating the Quadrangle, gold-headed 
cane in hand, clothed in the height of fashion, and 
bearing himself with a dignified demeanour. He was 
hospitable, gentlemanly, elegant, but inherited wealth had 
by this time put an end to his artistic career. Fuseli, 
the painter, followed him as keeper in 1804, and held 
the office till his death. He was exceedingly popular 
among the students, more, perhaps, for his lively wit 
than for his good-humoured but futile effiDrts as a 
disciplinarian. On one occasion while the students were 
waiting to be admitted to the schools they made so great 
a hubbub that Fuseli, losing patience, rushed out of his 
office into the hall and bellowed this rebuke : "By God ! 
You are a pack of wild beasts, and I the poor devil of 
a keeper ! " Another anecdote tells of his bruising his 
shins against a box carelessly left on the floor of the 
model academy by a student : " Bless my heart ! bless 
my heart!" he exclaimed. "I see one thing. I must 
wear spectacles upon my shins as well as upon my 
nose." Fuseli died in 1825 in the house of a friend 



232 SOMERSET HOUSE 

at Putney Hill. His body was brought to Somerset 
House, carried thence to St. Paul's, and interred between 
the graves of Reynolds and Opie. 

Another funeral conducted from Somerset House was 
that of Sir Benjamin West on the 29th of March, 1820. 
It was arranged on a scale of great magnificence, and 
the procession which emerged from the vestibule included 
many of the most notable men of the day. The grave 
was in the crypt of St, Paul's, near to those of Chambers 
and Wren. 

A reference to the exhibition of 1824, printed in a 
journal known as the Somerset House Gazette ^ gives an 
impression of the times : " On Tuesday and Wednesday 
last the metropolitan chairmen were in general requisition, 
and all the streets and avenues north and west of the 
Strand were pouring their tributary streams to the great 
graphic reservoir of Somerset House. When we look 
retrospectively and recollect the same scene passing half a 
century ago when our late venerable sovereign inquired 
with parental interest what was preparing for the honour 
of the national school which he founded ; and awaking 
as it were from the fond reverie and look about us and 
behold the active porters bearing to the old consecrated 
spot new tributes of genius wrought by those who 
were then unborn and from streets and squares then 
not existing, we sigh, and think of our grey hairs and 
the friends of our youth." The passage is of interest 
also as showing the benign conventionality of the editor's 
outlook and the grammatical vicissitudes which accom- 
panied his efforts with the pen. Apparently unheralded, 
the publication from which we have quoted, came forth 
into the world on the nth of October, 1823, at the price 
of sixpence for sixteen quarto pages. Then its title was 
merely Somerset House^ a weekly miscellany of Fine Arts^ 
Antiquities^ and Literary Chit-chat^ but in less than three 



ITS TENANTS 233 

months it became the Somerset House Gazette, and not 
long afterwards overwhelmed and absorbed one of its 
contemporaries, the Literary Museum. Now full-fledged, 
it issued as — 

SOMERSET HOUSE GAZETTE 

AND 

LITERARY MUSEUM ; 

OR 

WEEKLY MISCELLANY OF FINE ARTS, ANTIQUITIES, 

AND 

LITERARY CHIT-CHAT 

Containing Original essays and correspondence on all branches of the Fine Arts, Copious 

notices of the Public Exhibitions, Biography of distinguished Painters, Poets, Musicians, 

Actors, &c., &c. Reviews of New Publications, Drama, Opera, &c. Literary and 

Scientific Intelligence, &c., &c. 

EDITED BY 

EPHRAIM HARDCASTLE 

AUTHOR OF WINE AND WALNUTS. 

Little intelligence of a purely scientific kind can be 
discovered in its pages. Its antiquarian and curious 
interests are, however, considerable, and it reflects the 
activities of the Royal Academy and other artistic bodies 
with much devotion. But notwithstanding the accretion of 
the Literary Museum with an able stafli^, the Somerset House 
Gazette, price sixpence, ended, on the 25th of September, 
1824, with as little stir as that with which it had begun. 

Talk of the Academy's removal westward occurs in 
1832. What is now the National Gallery in Trafalgar 
Square was at that time being built, and the proposal to house 
the Academy in part of the new edifice was eventually 
followed. The rooms at Somerset House had long been 
inadequate for the purposes they were required to fulfil, 
and in abandoning them for the more commodious home 
in Trafalgar Square the Academicians experienced little 
regret. The exhibition of 1836, which included 1,154 
works, was the last held at Somerset House. On Saturday, 
the 17th of December following, a farewell dinner was 
arranged in the Council Chamber, and there the members 



234 SOMERSET HOUSE 

met for the last time in the old rooms, William IV. 
formally installing them at Trafalgar Square on the 28th 
of April, 1837. 

At the Academy's departure the most valuable of the 
decorations in the rooms it had occupied were taken 
down and utilised in the new abode. Later they were 
transferred to Burlington House, where they may now be 
seen. Sir Benjamin West and Angelica KaufFmann's panels 
and Carlini's bust of George III. are in the vestibule ; 
Reynolds' splendid figure of " Theory " and Nollekens' 
" Cupid and Psyche " hang in the Diploma Gallery. There 
remain at Somerset House the ceilings and chimney-pieces 
designed by Chambers, and four panels by Cipriani in the 
room which was formerly the Library. 

Many of the apartments now vacant were at once handed 
over to the Department of Practical Art^ or Government 
School of Design^ which had been established under the 
Board of Trade as the result of a Royal Commission of 
Inquiry held in 1835, The object of this institution 
was the improvement of ornamental art with regard 
especially to the staple manufactures of this country. It 
was maintained by an annual grant from Parliament, and 
received students on the recommendation of any house- 
holder. It represents the beginning of the great movement 
which is now centred at South Kensington, and has its 
branches in every town and village in the Kingdom. In 
those days the course comprehended elementary drawing 
in outline with pencil, shading with chalk after engraved 
examples, shading from casts, chiaroscuro painting, colour- 
ing, drawing the figure after engraved copies, drawing the 
figure from casts, painting the figure from casts, geometrical 
drawing applied to ornament, perspective modelling from 
engraved copies, &c. Every student was required to draw 
the human figure and to pass through the elementary classes 
before taking the general course. The school was open for 



ITS TENANTS 235 

public inspection every Monday from 1 1 to 3, and had 
accommodation for 200 students. Artists still living 
recollect their student days at Somerset House. 

One or two of the Academy's rooms were, however, 
reserved for the University of London^ r board of examiners 
established in 1837 for conferring degrees on the graduates 
of University College, King's College, Stepney College, 
Highbury College, and Homerton College, and for the 
advancement of religion, morality, and useful knowledge 
without distinction of rank, sect, or party. 

The Royal Society was by no means so fortunate in its 
coming to Somerset House as was its infant partner in 
the Royal favour. Far less than the genial gifts of Art 
do the beneficent activities of Science stand in the popular 
esteem ; it was so in 1663, when the Royal Society was 
formed ; it will be so as long as the Arts flourish. The social 
value of the man of science is, generally speaking, nil ; with 
inconspicuous devotion he pursues Knowledge for herself 
alone : the artist, on the other hand, has everywhere the 
entree of circles above his own, and often measures his 
professional success in terms of social enterprise. George 
III. was interested in the Royal Society perhaps more keenly 
than Charles II., who is associated with its foundation : he 
was liberal with his privy purse when a project failed 
for want of funds, but in the disposal of the apartments 
at Somerset House the social importance of the Academy 
had nearly deprived the Society of any room at all. When 
accommodation was first offered, a deputation was sent to 
inspect the proposed apartments, and a correspondence 
ensued with Sir William Chambers from which it is evident 
that the Society seriously contemplated declining the offer 
even at the discomfort of continuing its occupation of the 
dingy house in Crane Court, Charing Cross. But Chambers 
was conciliatory, and offered any modification of the avail- 
able space which might commend itself. 



236 SOMERSET HOUSE 

" I beg leave to observe," he writes, " that if the room 
intended for the library be found too small, the space for 
books may be very considerably augmented by dividing the 
room into two, one of which might occasionally serve as the 
Council Room, as being of a proper size and more con- 
veniently situated than the first designed in the attic." 

After much deliberation the Society decided to accept the 
Royal favour ; but in order to accommodate themselves in 
the new abode they were compelled to hand over their 
collections of specimens and other objects to the Trustees 
of the British Museum. At their first assembly in the 
new meeting-rooms, Sir Joseph Banks, then President, paid 
an eloquent tribute of gratitude for the King's generous 
patronage, and recalled the distinction which the Society 
enjoyed from having included such men as Newton, Wren, 
Halley, Flamsteed, and Boyle among its members. 

The apartments granted to the Society were entered by the 
doorway on the east side of the vestibule, exactly opposite the 
entrance to the Royal Academy. The interior hall followed 
the lines of that belonging to the Academy, and at the top 
of the first flight of stairs was a room used as a library and 
office, corresponding with the library of the Academy. This 
room was decorated by Cipriani. The central compartment 
of the ceiling represents the Sun ruler of the skies, and 
around it, in twelve small circles, are figures representing 
the signs of the Zodiac. In the coves of the ceiling are 
four panels imitating bas-relief, and exhibiting Cipriani as 
a draughtsman of children unrivalled in his day. These 
decorations remain at Somerset House, and, with the four 
panels referred to in connection with the Royal Academy, 
form perhaps the most representative collection of Cipriani,'s 
graceful work now to be seen. 

The library opened into the Council Room, a fine apart- 
ment 40 feet long by 25 feet wide, with a ceiling of 
elaborate design, and a handsome chimney-piece. Its three 



ITS TENANTS 237 

windows looked upon the Quadrangle. On the attic floor 
were two large rooms, used partly for the storage of the 
library and partly as a repository of scientific instruments. 
When the Lottery Office was abolished in 1826 the Society 
acquired much-needed additional accommodation. The 
library grew to 40,000 volumes, and occupied five rooms — 
two on the upper floor, called the Upper Library, the Lower 
Library, or Office, the Council Room, and the Instrument 
Room (formerly part of the Lottery Office). 

Although not possessing the artistic resources of its more 
fortunate neighbour, the Society was nevertheless able to 
adorn its new home in a fitting manner. A portrait of 
Newton, by Jervas (presented by Newton himself), was 
properly hung above the presidential chair. A second por- 
trait of Newton was in the Library, and a third in the 
Assistant Secretary's office. Two portraits of Halley ; one 
of Wren, by Kneller ; others of Flamsteed, by Gibson ; 
Lord Chancellor Bacon, by Van Somer ; Lord Brouncker, 
by Lely ; Robert Boyle, by Kerseboom ; Pepys, Lord 
Somers, Sir R. Southwell, and Sir Hans Sloane, by Kneller ; 
Martin Folkes, by Hogarth ; Sir H. Spelman, by Mytens ; 
and Wallis, by Soest, enriched the interiors, and at the same 
time furnished a record of the Society's history. The 
mace which lay upon the table of the Council Room was 
similar to those associated with the Houses of Parliament 
and the College of Physicians, and was presented to the 
Society by Charles H. in 1662. The belief so long enter- 
tained that this was the *' bauble," as Cromwell called it, 
of the Long Parliament, has been exploded by the discovery 
of the original warrant of 1662 for the making of this 
very mace. The other treasures included a solar dial made 
by Newton when a boy, a reflecting telescope constructed 
by him in 1671, the MS. of the Principia in autograph, 
the MS. of Parentalia^ by Matthew Wren, and the 
Society's Charter Book, bound in crimson velvet, and con- 



238 SOMERSET HOUSE 

taining the signatures of its Royal founder and the fellows. 
Busts of Charles II. and George III., by Nollekens, and 
another of Newton, by Roubillac, stood in the Library 
and Council Room. 

Eclipsed in social interest by the Academy, and having no 
periodic exhibition to attract the popular favour, the Society 
was nevertheless not without its sensations. In the rooms 
at Somerset House many discoveries of startling and pro- 
found importance were first made known, and men whose 
names we are accustomed to associate with perpetual honour 
here foregathered for friendship and mutual help. The 
earliest announcement came in 178 1. It was of the dis- 
covery of a new planet by Sir William Herschel, who 
suggested that it should be called Georgium Sidus, in 
acknowledgment of the King's bountiful liberality, parti- 
cularly in the matter of the new apartments ; but his 
suggestion was reasonably opposed, and the planet became 
known as Uranus. Then came the controversy on the 
composition of water, Herschel's great reflector, Young's 
undulatory theory of light, the electrical experiments of 
Volta, Faraday, Ohm, Davy, and Wheatstone ; John 
Dalton's theory of atoms, Brewster's researches in polarisa- 
tion, Buckland's in natural history, Lyell's in geology, and 
Sir John Herschel's in astronomy. For some time the 
Society took great interest in the invention of Babbage's 
calculating machine, and it was largely due to its influence 
that the Government was induced to encourage Mr. 
Babbage with financial support. Now, all that remains of 
the epoch-marking machine is deposited in the South 
Kensington Museum. 

Numerous bequests of books and scientific instruments 
at length encumbered the rooms and corridors of Somerset 
House to such an extent that when, in 1856, more spacious 
accommodation was offered at Burlington House, the Society 
gladly rejoined its old neighbour, the Academy. The 



ITS TENANTS 239 

Geological, Geographical, and Astronomical Societies, all of 
which had origin in the Royal Society during its tenure at 
Somerset House, took over the vacated rooms, and thus 
secured for the remainder of their stay a more commodious 
lodging. 

The Society of Antiquaries entered by the same door 
as the Royal Society. Its meetings were held in a large 
room on the first floor, with three windows looking upon 
the Strand, and a ceiling of graceful design. Its library 
occupied a room on the ground floor. This institution 
was founded in 1707 by Wanley, Bagford, and Talman, 
but as early as 1580 meetings of antiquaries were held in 
London, and in these the Society may claim to have origi- 
nated. George II., in 1751, granted it a Charter, and in 
1780 George III. set aside accommodation for it at Somerset 
House. The proceedings of the Society are contained in a 
long series of volumes entitled Archceologia^ and furnish 
much curious and minute information. The Society's 
library and museum included many objects of value : a 
large collection of early proclamations interspersed with 
ballads, many of them unique ; Porter's map of London in 
Charles I.'s time ; portraits of Edward IV., Richard III., 
Mary I. ; a portrait of the Marquis of Winchester, dated 
1 57 1, and another by Sir Antonio More of John Schoreel 
(his Flemish master). The rooms were also decorated by 
portraits of many well-known antiquaries. 

It is a strange circumstance that, though the Society was 
located at Somerset House for a period of ninety-three 
years, it should not have busied itself with the history of that 
foundation. Its proceedings contain little information on 
the subject, and if we deny its claim to the able researches of 
Samuel Pegge,^ no original contribution stands to its credit. 
The few relics of old Somerset House now existing are 
of little moment. Five tombstones taken from Henrietta 
» See Curalia, Part IV., 1806. 



240 SOMERSET HOUSE 

Maria's chapel are built into the walls of the passage lead- 
ing under the Quadrangle from east to west, but they have 
suffered considerable defacement, and the inscriptions are 
not clearly legible. These constitute the only authentic 
memorial of the old structure. A statement was at one 
time current that when the chapel was destroyed the altar 
screen was preserved, and its principal columns set up in the 
hall of the Royal Academy ; but as the columns in that hall 
cannot be identified with any members of the altar screen as Hi 
delineated in the drawings of the chapel issued in 1757, the 
tradition has not been verified. 

Of the several Government ofiices occupying the build- 
ing, the titles alone convey as much information as is 
acceptable concerning their interior economies. In the days 
of the stamp duty on newspapers the Quadrangle often 
presented a busy appearance. Every news-sheet issued 
throughout the kingdom was first stamped by hand, and 
daily the papermakers' carts brought in bales of paper 
intended for the Press. 

The operations of the Stamping Department were then 
carried on in the basement rooms at the south-east corner of 
the Quadrangle, and as no embankment existed to protect 
the rooms from the damp airs of the river, the plight of the 
stamping officers had almost evoked a note of sympathy 
in harsh voice of Anthony Pasquin : " In these damp, 
black, and comfortless recesses," he writes, " the clerks of 
the nation grope about like moles immersed in Tartarean 
gloom, and stamp, sign, examine, indite, doze, and swear as 
unconscious of the revolving sun as so many miserable 
demons of romance condemned to toil for ages in the centre. 
Methinks I hear the Isle of Portland mourn for this mis- 
application and prostitution of its entrails ! " The Stamp 
Office was originally unconnected with that of the Affairs 
of Taxes, but in 1834 the two were united, and under one 
Board of Stamps and Taxes were carried on until the Board 




I.N Til K A A\ ^ Ah M- I M. 



To niroxiti-eL'll. 



I 



ITS TENANTS 241 

of Inland Revenue was established by the consolidation of 
the Board of Stamps and Taxes with that of the Excise in 
1849. 

For nearly a century, more than one-third of the building 
was occupied by the various branches of the Admiralty. 
The great apartment in the centre of the south front, 
measuring 57 feet long by 37 feet wide, was devoted to 
an exhibition of models of typical ships and other objects 
illustrating the history, progress, and importance of the 
Navy. It was open to the public daily, and formed one 
of the attractions which, until the collection was removed to 
Greenwich, brought crowds to visit Somerset House. 
According to Peter Cunningham, author of the Handbook 
of London and many other works, the following anecdote 
was related by one of his senior colleagues at the Audit 
Office. " When I first came to this building," he said, " I 
was in the habit of seeing for many mornings a thin, spare 
naval officer with only one arm enter the vestibule at a 
smart step and make direct for the Admiralty over the 
rough paving-stones of the Quadrangle instead of taking, 
what others generally took and continue to take, the smooth 
pavement at the sides. His thin, frail figure shook at every 
step, and I often wondered why he chose so rough a foot- 
way ; but I ceased to wonder when I heard that the thin, 
frail officer was no other than Lord Nelson." 

In 1834 the newly-appointed Poor Law Commission 
(now absorbed in the Local Government Board) was 
accommodated in the north block, and about the same 
time the office of the Tithe and Copyhold Commissioners 
was also established there. Later still the Seamen's Registry 
occupied a room on the ground floor to the west of the 
Strand entrance. 

While the Naval Museum and other popular attractions 
remained, Somerset House was visited daily by large numbers 
of people. On Sundays the terrace overlooking the Thames 

16 



242 SOMERSET HOUSE 

was opened to the public, and many of the poorer class re- 
sorted thither to enjoy the view. It was, perhaps, the finest 
promenade in London. On the east the scene included St. 
Paul's, the Tower, the Monument, and numerous city 
churches, on the west the Abbey and Lambeth Palace, and 
on the south the Surrey hills. The river itself was full of 
interest and animation. Coasting barges with picturesque 
ochre-coloured sails tacked from side to side, and the rowing 
boat had not yet gone out of fashion. The retirement of 
this spot, compared with the incessant bustle of the Strand, 
was not the least of its attractions. Crabbe wrote some 
lines " in the solitude of Somerset House " one Sunday in 
July, 1 817, comparing its quiet with that of the sands of 
Arabia ; but he must have been either too late or too early 
for the crowd. Mr. Charles Weld, who became secretary 
of the Royal Society in 1843 and occupied rooms in the 
north block, tells how during the first months of his resi- 
dence there he was surprised by observing the visitors 
invariably cross the Quadrangle in a straight line, and, 
planting themselves within a convenient distance of the 
opposite wall, gaze eagerly upwards and point always to 
one spot. Unable to find any explanation of this strange 
behaviour, he asked an older resident the reason of it, and 
heard for the first time a story which is still current in remote 
parts of the country. Over the doorway of the Stamp 
Office (now the left-hand entrance to the Probate Registry) 
was a white watch-face, regarding which there existed a 
popular belief that it was placed there by a labourer who 
fell from a scaffold at the top of the building and was only 
saved from destruction by the ribbon of his watch, which 
caught on a projecting timber. As a memorial of his 
miraculous escape he afterwards desired that his watch 
might be placed as near as possible to the spot where his 
life had been saved. Such was the story told fifty times a 
week to gaping listeners — a story which need not be denied. 



ITS TENANTS 243 

though the labourer's watch was nothing more than a dial 
placed there by the Royal Society as a meridian mark for a 
portable transit instrument in one of the windows of their 
ante-room. Having wondered sufficiently over the reckless 
gratitude of the labouring man, the week-day visitor betook 
himself to the model-room at the Admiralty, the Sunday 
visitor to lounge on the terrace, or perchance to count the 
3,600 windows enumerated by a painter who contracted 
for the outside repairs of the building. But by and by 
the loiterer lost the taste for merely lounging, and fell 
into mischief to while away the hours. The stone- 
work and sculpture suffered extensive mutilation by his 
practice of carving names upon them, and it at length 
became necessary to close the gates of the terrace on Sundays 
as well as on week-days. Thenceforward only the inhabitants 
of the building were supplied with keys, though a few 
favoured residents in the neighbourhood appear to have 
succeeded in procuring them. Mr. Chapman, the publisher, 
was one of these ; and when in the early fifties Herbert 
Spencer joined the staff of the Economist, then located at 
No. 340, Strand, almost opposite Somerset House, it was 
the loan of Mr. Chapman's key which favoured the young 
philosopher in his philanderings. The story is fully related 
in his autobiography : — 

"As the season advanced our conversations were no 
longer always indoors or at places of amusement. Our 
most frequent outdoor conversations occurred during walks 
along a quiet promenade near at hand. In those days 
before the Thames embankment was made, the southern 
basement of Somerset House rose directly out of the water ; 
and the only noises on that side came from the passing 
steamboats. From end to end this basement is surmounted 
by a balustrade, and behind the balustrade runs a long 
terrace, at that time as little invaded by visitors as by 
sounds. The terrace is shut off by a gate from one of the 



244 SOMERSET HOUSE 

courts of Somerset House. Chapman had obtained a key 
of this gate ; whether by favour or by some claim attaching 
to his house, the back of which abutted on Somerset House, 
I do not know. Frequently on fine afternoons in May, 
June, and July she obtained the key ; and we made our way 
on to the terrace, where we paced backwards and forwards 
for an hour or so, discussing many things. 

" Of course, as we were frequently seen together, people 
drew their inferences. Very slight evidence suffices the 
world for positive conclusions ; and here the evidence 
seemed strong. Naturally, therefore, quite definite state- 
ments became current. There were reports that I was in 
love with her and that we were about to be married. But 
neither of these reports was true." 

The lady was Mary Ann Evans — George Eliot. 



1 




Ground Plan of the New Wing. 

From a drawing by Mr. Harold Hillyer, reproduced by hin kind permission 
and that of the Editor 0/ " The British Architect." 
To face page 246. 



I! 



CHAPTER VII 



THE NATIONAL BEEHIVE 



SINCE the early fifties the growth of the Revenue 
Departments has gradually forced one after another 
of the original occupants of Somerset House to seek 
accommodation elsewhere. The consolidation of the 
Board of Excise with that of Stamps and Taxes, 
involved the abandonment of the old Excise Office 
in the City and the gathering of the whole Head 
Office staff of the Inland Revenue Department under the 
one roof at Somerset House. Want of space soon 
necessitated the removal of the office of the Duchy of 
Cornwall from its apartments next the Tax Office in 
the east wing, to premises specially designed for it at 
Buckingham Palace. At the same time the official resi- 
dences attached to the Admiralty were ordered to be 
vacated, and plans were prepared for the erection of a 
new wing covering the whole of the available space on 
the west between the existing edifice and the approach to 
Waterloo Bridge. 

This important work was carried out by Mr. James 
Pennethorne, Surveyor and Architect to the Government. 
Though undistinguished in the popular mind, Pennethorne 
has left a more noticeable mark upon modern London than 
any single architect since Wren. Born at Worcester in 



245 



246 SOMERSET HOUSE 

1801, he came to London in 1820 as a pupil of John Nash, 
the architect of Carlton House Terrace. From 1822 to 
1824 he studied the Gothic style in the office of Augustus 
Pugin, and then left England for France, Italy, and Sicily. 
While in Rome he made a design for the restoration of the 
Forum, the merits of which secured his election as a member 
of the Academy of St. Luke. Returning to London in 
1826, he took a leading position in Nash's office, and, as 
his principal assistant, directed the West Strand and King 
William Street improvements. Not long afterwards he was 
employed directly by the Government to prepare plans for 
further operations in the Metropolis. One of his aims 
appears to have been the construction of a trunk thorough- 
fare from the extreme east to the extreme west of London, 
but this proved too ambitious for an economic Treasury, 
and was abandoned. Other schemes were submitted, how- 
ever, and in a much mutilated form eventually carried out. 
These included the building of New Oxford Street, Cranbourn 
Street, Endell Street, and Commercial Street, E., and the 
total cost exceeded £ i ,000,000. By request of the Govern- 
ment, Pennethorne now relinquished his private practice 
to devote himself entirely to official works. Between 
1840 and 1850 he surveyed, planned, and laid out Victoria 
Park and its approaches, Battersea Park, and Kennington 
Park. Later he elaborated a scheme for a great northern 
park to be called Albert Park, and although this project 
was not realised, Finsbury Park now occupies a small portion 
of the district he proposed to enclose. He designed the 
Museum of Practical Geology in Jermyn Street, the Public 
Record Office in Chancery Lane, the Duchy of Cornwall 
Office, and other extensive works at Buckingham Palace 
and in the neighbourhood, and the University of London, 
Burlington Gardens. The buildings which were altered or 
improved under his direction are numerous, and many of 
his finest and most ambitious designs were put aside alto- 



THE NATIONAL BEEHIVE 247 

gether. He died in 1871, soon after receiving the honour 
of knighthood. 

The new wing of Somerset House fronting Lancaster 
Place is, with the possible exception of the University- 
building in BurUngton Gardens, Pennethorne's most success- 
ful work. At the time of its erection it attracted wide- 
spread attention and evoked a spontaneous testimony to the 
esteem in which Pennethorne was held, in the form of a 
letter of congratulation addressed to him by seventy-five of 
his fellow-architects — 

"London, July I, 1856. 
"Dear Sir, — Your professional brethren are anxious to 
congratulate you on the successful completion of your 
design for the western wing of Somerset House, in which 
at the time that you have adhered to the taste and style of 
the original edifice, and have done full justice to the genius 
of Chambers, you have adapted these additions to a difficult 
site with great propriety, and thereby produced a striking 
architectural feature in the entrance to London by Waterloo 
Bridge." 

The letter continues in adulatory terms to speak of other 
work on which Pennethorne had been engaged, and among 
its signatories are Philip Hardwick, C. R. Cockerell, Charles 
Barry, Decimus Burton, and Sydney Smirke. 

The work of digging out the site was begun in the latter 
part of 1 8 5 1 . Hitherto the east side of Lancaster Place was 
described as a row of ungainly brick dwelling-houses spring- 
ing out of a deep pit. This reference doubtless applied to 
the back parts of the official residences attached to the 
Admiralty, which, as we have seen, fronted the rear of the 
West Wing of the Quadrangle. When the New Wing was 
built only the back parts of those houses were demolished, 
the fronts and certain other main walls being left standing 



248 SOMERSET HOUSE 

and afterwards embodied in Pennethorne's structure. ^ The 
new foundations were carried 14 feet below the level of 
high water, and so constructed as effectually to resist all 
encroachment from strong tides or a swollen river. Build- 
ing operations began on the 2nd of January, 1852, and 
were afterwards pursued with the utmost vigour. By 
daylight and gaslight a gang of workmen was employed in 
wheeling concrete from barges moored alongside into the 
floors of the foundations, which were thus formed to a 
depth of several feet before the first course ot masonry was 
superimposed. Towards the end of 1855 the hoarding in 
Lancaster Place was removed, but at that time work upon 
various details was still in progress, particularly in the north 
wing, which included the construction of the short stone 
facade constituting the entrance to the new block from the 
main Quadrangle. The whole was finished by midsummer, 
1856. 

The frontage to Lancaster Place is about 350 feet long. 
At its south end the new building terminated some 20 feet 
behind the river fagade, so that the proportions and general 
effect of the original design might be undisturbed ; but, not- 
withstanding this precaution, uninformed modern critics have 
mistaken Pennethorne's additions for part of the original 
plan, and lamented the supposed incompletion of the river 
front at its eastern extremity. Pennethorne's design consists 
in a deeply-recessed centre and two wings advanced to the 
line of the street. It was the architect's object to harmonise 
his work with that of Sir William Chambers, and in this he 
has achieved conspicuous success. The details of the new 
wing were copied from those of the main building, and the 
same designs of entablature, columns, and capitals as distin- 
guish the river front were followed in the facade of 

^ The dressings of the windows, corresponding with the doorways of the 
old Admiralty residences, and the rain-water pipes, bearing the monogram 
of George III., constitute the main argument in proof of this. 



THE NATIONAL BEEHIVE 249 

Lancaster Place. The recessed block and the fronts of the 
two wings are, however, crowned by an attic, and the 
windows of the third storey are heightened to admit more 
light. The central feature of the facade is composed of 
columns of Corinthian order with entablature and balustrade, 
surmounted by six sculptured figures representing the 
principal manufacturing towns of the kingdom ; above the 
figures rises a bold pediment topped by a seated figure of 
Britannia, and flanked at the lateral angles by seahorses. 
The tympanum of the pediment and the frieze connecting it 
with the attic storey are richly carved, the principal orna- 
ment being the Royal Arms. Over the entrance doorway 
are grouped figures of History and Fame. Crowning the 
lateral wings are sculptures copied from the attic storey of 
the north front, and flanking the colonnades are alto-relievo 
medallions taken from examples in the Quadrangle. The 
artist employed in this work was Mr. William Theed, better 
known by his group symbolising "Africa" at the north-east 
angle of the Albert Memorial in Kensington Gardens. The 
total cost of the operations, stated at _^8 1,123, was defrayed 
out of the proceeds of the sale of the old Excise Office in 
Broad Street. 

In the ample premises thus provided the Board of Inland 
Revenue was installed at the close of 1856, and the central- 
ised headquarters staffs of the Excise, Stamps and Taxes 
services was now enabled to carry on its multifarious 
activities in well-arranged and commodious apartments. 
The immediate result of these changes was the development 
of a more perfect machinery for the collection of all internal 
taxes levied by Act of Parliament and a consequent economy 
in the cost of administration. To the passionless instrument 
of the law the penny is as important as the pound, and no 
man escapes taxation because his liability is inconsiderable. 
The net is cast with a sweep which enfolds all, and its 
myriad meshes yield a draught wherein the tiniest fish has 



250 SOMERSET HOUSE 

been calmly, deliberately taken. Occasionally The Times 
may derive a half-column of free copy from the whining 
protest of an individual who has been hard hit, but such 
cases have their counterpart in the fraudulent persons who 
escape ; and from the generally smooth working of the 
various Acts it can only be judged that the large majority 
of taxpayers have been treated reasonably, and are satisfied 
that justice will not fail in other cases. The explanation of 
this happy condition of things does not rest altogether in 
the amendments which have been made in the law ; sub- 
stantially the law has remained unchanged for a hundred 
years ; it rests rather in the improved methods of adminis- 
tration and the comprehensive manner in which even the 
smallest source of revenue is supervised and its yield brought 
to account. 

That circumstances were once far otherwise is shown by 
the history of the Excise and its relationship with the 
hazardous but profitable pursuit of smuggling. Like the 
Income Tax, its great rival in point of productiveness and 
popular disfavour, the Excise was borrowed from the Dutch, 
whose ingenuity in affairs of finance and taxation has earned 
for their country the title of *Ua terre classique de lafiscalite^ 
As early as 1626 an abortive attempt was made to submit 
the English manufacturer to an Excise. In a tract entitled 
A Declaration and Protestation against the Illegal and 
Detestable and Oft-contemned New Tax and Extortion of 
Excise in General and for Hops^ a Native and Uncertain 
Commodity^ in Particular^ the undaunted pugnacity of 
William Prynne again associates itself with the history of 
Somerset House. This tract, issued in 1654, describes how 
the late beheaded King Charles, by the advice of the Duke 
of Buckingham and other evil counsellors, granted a Com- 
mission under the Great Seal to thirty-three members 
of the Privy Council to set on foot an Excise in 
England. But when the production of the Commission was 



THE NATIONAL BEEHIVE 251 

moved for in the House of Commons, the scheme was 
declared by an unanimous vote to be contrary to the 
principles of the Constitution. At a conference which then 
took place between the two Houses, Sir Edward Coke, on 
behalf of the Commons, described the proposed tax as 
*' Monstrum horrendum, informe^ ingens, . . . whose eyes 
had been pulled out by the Commons," and appealed to 
their lordships to second the Commons' action before the 
monster was fully brought forth to consume and devour the 
nation. In deference to this agitation the King cancelled 
the Commission, and the scheme was dropped. 

When the struggle between Parliament and the King 
began, in 1641, Parliament particularly denied reports of its 
intention " to assess every man's pewter and lay excises 
upon that and other commodities," and threatened the 
fabricators of the reports with condign penalties. But not- 
withstanding this denial and the popular horror of the 
Dutch tax, in July, 1643, both Lords and Commons 
agreed to the speedy raising and levying of moneys, " by 
way of Excise or new impost," for the maintenance of 
the Parliamentary forces, *' until it shall please Almighty 
God in His mercy to move the King's Majesty's heart 
to confide and confer with both his Houses of Parliament 
for the establishment of a blessed and lasting peace." And 
it was ordained " for the better levying of the moneys 
hereby to be raised that an office from henceforth be 
erected and appointed in the city of London, to be called 
or known by the name of the Office of Excise or new im- 
post, wherof there shall be eight Commissioners to govern 
the same, and one of them to be Treasurer, with several 
registrars, collectors, clerks, and other subordinate officers 
as the Commissioners may determine," The turmoil of 
the Civil War effectually silenced the opposition with which 
the *' new impost " was met. It was exacted in a rough- 
and-ready manner, and the want of a proper organisation 



252 SOMERSET HOUSE 

at once led to grave abuses. In 1649 a scurrilous pamphlet 
by *' Mary Stiff, charwoman," voices " the good women's 
cryes against the Excise on all their commodities," and 
in language far from delicate shows how bitterly the burden 
was resented. Although at the Restoration it was deemed 
politic to curtail the extent of the impost, it had proved 
too valuable a resource to be altogether abolished in a 
generous hour. 

The Excise persisted with little variation until 1733, 
when Sir Robert Walpole made the first serious endeavour to 
eradicate the evils of farming and other irregularities which 
had discredited the system, and designed to establish the 
impost on a sound and equitable basis. Notwithstanding 
the rigorous laws which had been enacted for its protec- 
tion, the tax was constantly avoided in the most flagrant 
and outrageous manner. It became the motive of every 
kind of corruption and violence, and the hatred it aroused 
in the popular mind was often accompanied by a dogged 
determination to escape payment. The highwaymen who 
openly pursued their calling on all the roads to Lon- 
don had their counterpart in the desperate class who 
carried on the trade of smuggling along the coast. No 
crime was too violent for these hardened scamps ; they 
murdered the Revenue officers, set fire to the Custom-houses, 
and rode in armed gangs on the banks of the Thames 
within six miles of London. It was shown before a Royal 
Commission appointed in 1732 to inquire into the Excise, 
that not only had the mercantile class been guilty of gross 
dishonesty in their dealings with the Revenue, but that 
the officers themselves had plundered to an enormous 
extent. In 1728 alone fifty tons of tobacco were stolen 
or " socked " from incoming vessels and deposited in 
houses between London Bridge and Woolwich. For 
these frauds 150 officers were dismissed the service and 
several were prosecuted at the public expense. Five 



THE NATIONAL BEEHIVE 253 

years later, when referring to this circumstance, Walpole 
observed : " It is not a little remarkable, when we recollect 
the professions of patriotism, virtue, and disinterestedness 
which are now so copiously poured forth, that not a single 
merchant, though the facts were so notorious and shameful, 
assisted the State, either by information or pecuniary exer- 
tio'n, to suppress the fraud or bring the delinquents to 
punishment." In the proposals now put forward tobacco 
was subjected to Excise duty as well as Customs duty, 
and a system of collection was outlined which in its main 
features corresponded with the present system of the 
bonded warehouse. But the feeling throughout the country 
was strongly opposed to any enlargement of the obnoxious 
Excise, and interested persons did not scruple to adopt 
every means of fomenting hostility. The proposals were 
hotly debated in Parliament, and at length Walpole secured 
a majority, 260 voting for and 205 against the measure. 
But so great was the popular disgust at his success that he 
voluntarily abandoned the scheme. The catch-phrase of 
" Liberty, Property, and no Excise " instantly went up in 
jubilant chorus, and the occasion was celebrated with all the 
rejoicing of a great national triumph. London kindled 
bonfires, rang its bells, and lit up the Monument, and 
the demonstrations throughout the provinces were not 
less fervent. All agreed to vilify the " monster pro- 
ject." Blackstone, writing in 1765, says that "from its 
first original to the present time its very name has been 
odious to the people of England " ; while " the great 
Dr. Johnson " defines it in his dictionary as " a hateful 
tax levied upon commodities, and adjudged, not by the 
common judges of property, but wretches hired by those 
to whom Excise is paid." 

For fifty years after Walpole's discomfiture no minister 
meddled with the Excise. It was reserved for Pitt to 
introduce measures identical in nature with those which 



254 SOMERSET HOUSE 

Walpole had abandoned, and to find the people acquiescent. 
In 1784 he imposed a tax on bricks, and several classes of 
traders were compelled to take out licences; in 1786, as 
a means of preventing fraud, he transferred the greater 
part of the duty on imported commodities from the 
Customs to the Excise ; and in 1789 he instituted the 
practice of submitting the manufacture of dutiable articles 
to the survey of the Revenue officer. At one time during 
the war with France no fewer than twenty-nine articles were 
excisable, and Pitt might have boasted his power to carry 
any fiscal measure he thought desirable. 

Prior to 1823, the Excise revenues of Scotland and 
Ireland were controlled by separate Boards. In that year, 
however, these were consolidated with the English Board, 
and under the Board of Excise for the United Kingdom 
thus formed, the system of "bonding" and other im- 
proved methods of administration were at once introduced. 
Gradually the trade of the smuggler, so extensively practised 
in the earlier decades of the century, was rendered too 
hazardous to be profitable, and though during the sixties 
isolated cases were not infrequent, systematic and whole- 
sale evasion had ceased. Little by little a better under- 
standing of the principles of taxation led to a large 
restriction in the number of dutiable articles : the taxes 
on salt, leather, glass, bricks, candles, soap, paper, &c., 
disappeared, and to-day 97 per cent, of the Excise revenue 
is derived from the duty on spirits and beer. The pro- 
cess of collection has been rendered complete and unerring 
in its operation, and the old feeling against the Excise 
happily transferred to the abhorrent intimacies of the 
Income Tax. 

Here at once the romantic atmosphere is dispelled : the 
smuggler and the highwayman give place to the coward 
and the chartered fraud ; open, devil-may-care crime 
to solitary vice. Yet for the large-eyed philosopher what 



THE NATIONAL BEEHIVE 255 

fields of reflection are opened by the inexorable inquisi- 
tors of Somerset Hbuse ! Every post brings its tale of 
human hearts laid bare, and documents of unique psycho- 
logical interest, plaintive or abusive, are indifferently 
weighed against the law. At the present time the In- 
come Tax possesses no serious rival in the popular distaste : 
it is expensive to collect, and many objections are urged 
against it on the plea of its inequitable incidence. But 
it is a much too useful and convenient expedient to be 
thrown aside. In point of age it is as venerable as the 
Excise : we owe its introduction to an Act of the Long 
Parliament passed in 1642. After satisfying the imme- 
diate need, however, it fell into disuse until 1798, when, 
in an inspired moment, Pitt revived it with the dual object 
of paying for the French War and diverting public atten- 
tion from his enormous extensions of the Excise. The 
burden which was then laid upon the taxpayer was a 
graduated percentage of his total income. The limit of 
exemption was £^0 ; incomes between £60 and £6^ 
suffered a tax of -xloth, and the proportion was increased 
step by step until the rate of i^th, or 10 per cent., was 
reached on all incomes exceeding £100. The tax was the 
subject of a strong and clearly-stated criticism by Lord 
Holland, who pointed out that " it visited incomes derived 
from permanent and disposable capital, those arising from pre- 
carious and temporary possessions, and those from labour, 
talents, and industry at the same rate, and was, therefore, un- 
just, unequal, and impolitic." But with the national account 
overdrawn at the Bank, and all money payments suspended, 
nice considerations of equity could not be allowed to over- 
throw a scheme from which so much was expected. As soon 
as the emergency was past, however, the tax was removed, 
only to be revived again in 1803, by an Act which is 
for practical purposes the parent or original of the existing 
statutes. A noticeable feature of this Act is the con- 



256 SOMERSET HOUSE 

sideration it extends to the heads of families. House- 
holders with more than two children, and in receipt of 
incomes between £60 and ;^400, were allowed a reduction 
in the rate of 4 per cent, for each child ; those having 
between ^400 and ^1,000 were allowed 3 per cent., 
those between ^1,000 and ^5,000 2 per cent., and those 
having more than ^5,000 i per cent, for each child. 
Further modifications were introduced in the Act of 1806, 
which imposed a heavy duty to meet the expenses of the 
reopened war. The levy now persisted until 1816, when 
Parliament refused to sanction it any longer. But in 1842 
the tax was reintroduced by Sir Robert Peel, in an Act 
based on that of 1 806, and it has been imposed without 
intermission ever since. The rate has varied according 
to the needs of the Exchequer. For two years during the 
Crimean War it stood at is. 4d. ; in 1874 it had fallen 
to 2d. ; in 1902 it was raised to is. 3d. to meet the 
enormous outlay on the war in South Africa. Peel calcu- 
lated that for every penny of the duty he received a 
return of ^800,000 ; to-day for every penny the return 
is j^2, 545,000, or more than three times as much. 

Closely associated with the Income Tax is the tax on 
inhabited houses — house duty, and another tax, which was 
originally imposed in 1692, upon property and offices 
generally, but subsequently shifted its incidence so as to 
bear almost exclusively on landed property, and became 
known as the Land Tax. During the American War of 
Independence this tax was levied at the rate of 4s. in the 
j^, but under powers originating in Pitt's arrangements of 
1798, when he endeavoured to get rid of the old tax on 
imposing the new Income " Duty," a considerable portion of 
the Land Tax has been redeemed. The ^725,000 which 
remains is practically a statutory redeemable rent charge on 
certain lands in Great Britain. 

Another important division of the business conducted 



THE NATIONAL BEEHIVE 257 

chiefly in the New Wing is that of the Stamps Department. 
Stamp duties were first imposed in England in 1694, but 
the existing law is mainly based on the Stamp Act of 1870. 
In 1902 the total revenue derived from the numerous 
sources of stamp duty was ^^9, 17 8,000. This included the 
remarkable sum of ;^22,i9i arising from the duty on 
playing-cards. 

The mechanical operations carried on in the Stamps 
Department are of exceptional interest. Legal and com- 
mercial stamps are impressed partly by steam-presses located 
in the basement and partly by hand in rooms on the ground 
floor, near the entrance from Lancaster Place, where any 
person requiring to legalise a deed or other document may 
attend and witness the process. The pedestrian on 
the Victoria Embankment who notes the clatter of 
mechanism behind the barred windows under the terrace 
of Somerset House is listening to the process by which the 
State makes paper into gold. Stamps of all kinds are here 
produced, and the machinery by which some of the more 
elaborate varieties are embossed and printed is both complex 
and exquisite in its operation. The abolition of the duty on 
newspapers in 1855 removed a difficult task from the daily 
routine of this department, and although the developments 
which have since taken place in the production of stamps 
have enormously increased the annual output, no arrange- 
ment so cumbrous as that of the newspaper stamp is ever 
likely to be adopted again. Prior to 1840 (the year in 
which the penny post was inaugurated) postage stamps were 
non-adhesive, and not until some years later was the machine 
invented, which, by perforating the edges of the stamp, makes 
it so easily detachable from the sheet on which it is printed. 
The inventor of the perforating machine was Mr. Edwin 
Hill, an elder brother of Sir Rowland Hill. From 1 840 
to 1872 he had charge of the Stamping Department at 
Somerset House, and during his tenure of office eflfected 

17 



258 SOMERSET HOUSE 

numerous improvements in the mechanism by which stamps 
are produced. Postcards were first issued under his super- 
vision in 1870. 

The Estate Duty Department now occupying the whole 
of the West Wing is the modern development of the Legacy 
Duty Office, which was put in possession of a suite of rooms 
in the north block soon after that part of the building was 
completed in 1780. The revenue from Estate Duties now 
forms one of the chief items in the national balance sheet ; 
in 1902 no less than ^^ 13, 8 50,000 was derived from this 
source, exclusive of nearly 4J millions paid to the Local 
Taxation account. We first hear of death duties in 1694, 
when a stamp tax of 5s. on probates and letters of adminis- 
tration was granted " for four yeares towards carrying on the 
warr against France." This charge was, of course, irrespec- 
tive of the value of the property, and although it was 
increased to los. in 1698 by the Act which made it per- 
petual, no further development took place until 1779, when 
the ascending scale of duty was introduced. The original 
scale was largely extended by subsequent Acts, and in 1804 
the duty was graduated in its application to all estates under 
^500,000. Legacy duty makes its appearance in 1780. At 
first it was nothing more than a stamp tax on the recipient of 
the legacy, but by the Act of 1796 it was applied to the 
property itself, though only personal estate was liable. In 
1805, however, the area of taxation was extended to gifts 
out of real estate, and finally in 1853, under the head of 
Succession Duty, real estate was charged in the same manner 
as personal estate as far as regards the life interest of the 
beneficiary. Although the Act of 1853 was modified in 
some details by subsequent legislation, no extensive change 
took place until the Act of 1894, which initiated the grant 
of Estate duty at a graduated rate chargeable upon the prin- 
cipal value of all property, real or personal, settled or not 
settled, passing at death. This Act superseded all others in 



THE NATIONAL BEEHIVE 259 

relation to cases arising after August i, 1894, and largely 
increased the revenue from death duties. 

Since August, 1874, practically the whole of the south 
front of the Quadrangle has been occupied by the clerical 
staff of the Probate Court. The removal of the Admiralty 
to Spring Gardens in 1873 left a vast space vacant, and of 
this a large part of the West Wing was appropriated by the 
Board of Inland Revenue for the accommodation of the 
Special Commissioners Branch, the Income Tax Repayments 
Branch, and the Legacy and Succession Duty Department. 
The vaults under the terrace, as well as the rooms in the south 
front, were handed over to the authorities of the old Will 
Office in Doctors' Commons, who at once proceeded to 
convert the vaults into strong rooms for the storage of wills. 
The earth and defective lead from the crowns of the arches 
carrying the terrace were removed, and a deep layer of 
concrete, covered by another of asphalt, substituted, to 
insure the vaults being waterproof. Into this range of 
apartments, and a corresponding one in the base of the 
south front itself, miles of shelving were now fitted, and 
during the summer of 1874 many tons of the huge folio 
volumes, which for years had darkened the walls at Doctors' 
Commons, were transferred to the new depository. Here 
are stored the original wills for every year since 1483 ; the 
copies go back a century farther. The latter are written 
on parchment, strongly bound, and secured with bronze 
clasps. Prior to the Reformation the wills of each year are 
compacted into one small volume, but after that time there 
is a marked increase in the bulk of the yearly volumes. 
From 1870 onwards the number of volumes filled with wills 
proved in the Probate Court of London alone exceeds thirty 
per annum. On payment of a fee of is. any person is 
entitled to examine a will in which he may be interested ; 
and as at Doctors' Commons there was a depository for the 
executed wills of living people, so there is now at Somerset 



260 SOMERSET HOUSE 

House. Any man or woman in the kingdom not inca- 
pacitated from making a will may sign, seal, and deliver on 
payment of I2s. 6d. his or her last will and testament, to be 
kept in the depository till his or her death shall make it 
operative. Whilst it remains in the custody of the Probate 
Court it is kept in a fireproof room, and cannot again be 
examined by the testator. It is, however, competent to the 
testator to annul it wholly or vary it in part by making a 
fresh will or a codicil, and such fresh will or codicil he may 
either deposit at Somerset House or retain in his own posses- 
sion. Many of the documents preserved in this part of the 
building are highly curious, and many are of great historical 
value. A visitor properly introduced may examine the wills 
of Shakespeare, Vandyck, Lord Nelson, Dr. Johnson, Izaak 
Walton, Inigo Jones, Edmund Burke, William Pitt, Sir 
Isaac Newton, John Milton, and the Duke of Wellington. 
Shakespeare's will consists of three folio pages, and as it 
is of exceptional importance it has been enclosed in an 
air-tight frame of oak and glass. The will of Napoleon 
Bonaparte, which formerly figured in the collection, was 
restored to France in 1853 at the request of the Emperor 
Louis Napoleon. 

The only department now located at Somerset House 
which is not engaged either directly or indirectly in re- 
plenishing the Exchequer is that of the Registrar-General of 
Births, Marriages, and Deaths. This department occupies 
the rooms originally designed for the Royal Academy, the 
Royal Society, and the Society of Antiquaries {i.e.^ the whole 
of the Strand front). It was created in 1836 by the passing 
of an Act for the compulsory registration of all births, 
marriages, and deaths in England and Wales after the 30th 
of June, 1837, and the duty of the Registrar-General is to 
see that every detail of the business of registration is strictly 
carried out by the various officials on whom the work 
devolves. The whole of England and Wales is divided into 



THE NATIONAL BEEHIVE 261 

convenient districts, over each of which a superintendent- 
registrar is appointed to receive the quarterly returns 
prepared by the subordinate registrars, the clergy of the 
Established Church, and other ministers of religion. These 
returns are then transmitted to Somerset House, where they 
are minutely examined, arranged, and indexed. Erasures, 
interpolations, omissions, informalities, and discrepancies of 
all kinds are brought to light, and any person making a 
defective entry is at once called upon for an explanation. 
Separate alphabetical indexes are made of the births, mar- 
riages, and deaths occurring in each quarter, and to each 
entry there is added a reference to the district it affects. 
Various other precautions are taken to render the registration 
complete and faultless in arrangement, and to guard against 
error the original papers are carefully stored in the extensive 
vaults of the basement. 

Prior to 1801 there existed no official returns of the 
population, and the only plan of ascertaining the annual 
increase was to take the difference between the number of 
births and the number of deaths recorded in the parish 
registers. But as the system of registration then in vogue 
was a purely voluntary one, the data obtained by means of it 
were unreliable. The parish register at its best was an im- 
perfect record, but even so it was preferable to none at all. 
It was first ordered to be kept at the dissolution of the 
monasteries in 1538. The injunction then issued to the 
clergy caused great excitement throughout the country, as 
it was feared the registration might be a preliminary to 
more burdensome taxation. An ancestor of the Earl of 
Mount Edgcumbe " scrybelyd in hast " to Thomas Crom- 
well, on whose initiative the step had been taken, telling him 
that the King's subjects in Cornwall and Devonshire " be in 
greate feer and mystrust what the Kyngg's hyghness and his 
conseyll schulde meane to give in commandement to the 
parsons and vycars off every parisse that they schulde make 



262 SOMERSET HOUSE 

a book and surely to be kept wherein to be specifyyd the 
namys ofF as many as be weddyd and the namys of them 
that be buryd and off all those that be crystynyd." Accord- 
ing to the preface to the population returns of 1831, fully 
one-half of the parish registers anterior to 1600 have dis- 
appeared, and, as we have had occasion to notice in 
connection with the register kept at Somerset House 
Chapel, the information supplied by such means even in the 
eighteenth century is both meagre and inaccurate. Now, 
instead of hazardous conjecture, through the agency of the 
General Register Office we possess precise information as to 
the number and ages of the population, its rate of increase, 
the influence of occupation and local causes on the rate of 
mortality, and many other important and indisputable facts. 
The statistics thus available throw light upon all questions 
relating to the public health and the social condition ot the 
people, and enable a statesman to take a wide survey of 
the various interests and activities whose welfare it is his 
wish to promote. 

Many of the rooms on the eastern side of the vestibule, 
now forming part of the General Register Office, remained 
until 1873 ^^ the hands of the Society of Antiquaries, the 
Geological, and Royal Astronomical Societies, In that year 
the Societies moved to new quarters in Burlington House, 
and, as we have seen, the Admiralty went to Spring 
Gardens. About the same time, in order to give facility 
of access to the Postal Stores of the Stamps Department, 
the space between the West Wing and the New Wing, 
which, since the fifties, had been a broad declivity leading 
from the courtyard to the river, was completely dug 
out to the level of the recently-constructed Victoria 
Embankment. It was then found that communication 
between branches of the Inland Revenue Department 
located in the West Wing and the main office in the 
New Wing had been rendered very inconvenient, and 



THE NATIONAL BEEHIVE 263 

a footbridge was accordingly thrown across at the first 
floor. 

When the New Wing was built, the doorway, with a deep 
porch next to Duchy House, in Wellington Street, led, by 
a vaulted corridor, directly into the Quadrangle. Subse- 
quently the passage was stopped, and in that part of the 
building a post-office was accommodated, to which the 
clerical staff in the New Wing had access by a private door. 
Some years ago the post-office was closed, and since that 
time the doorway into Wellington Street has not been 
used. 

Another important change took place in 1902, when 
the Exchequer and Audit Department, removing to new 
premises on the Victoria Embankment, vacated the East 
Wing. Again the disturbance was caused by the growth 
of the Inland Revenue Departments. The redistribution 
which followed placed the branches of the Income Tax 
Repayments, the Special Commissioners, and the Chief 
Inspector of Taxes in the East Wing, and left the Estate 
Duty Department to occupy the whole of the West Wing. 
To provide additional space the door at the north end of 
the West Wing was closed, and two staircases, which 
formerly occupied a large area and were exceedingly incon- 
venient, were utilised in extending the adjoining apartments 
and making the corridors continuous from end to end of the 
building. 

The chief control of the Inland Revenue services 
— Excise, Stamps and Taxes, and Estate Duty — is still 
located in the New Wing. Here also is the department 
of the Accountant-General, who, year by year, turns over 
two-thirds of the national income. To-day Somerset 
House is little else than a vast labyrinth of offices for 
gathering in the State millions. The activities of which it 
is the centre extend invisibly to the remotest parts of the 
kingdom, and their sole objective is gold. They are the 



264 SOMERSET HOUSE 

mainspring of the Exchequer ; we depend upon them to 
maintain our national integrity ; they keep our fleets upon 
the seven seas and our legions ready for battle ; they 
educate our children ; they sustain the price of consols. 
They have poured into the Treasury in a single year one 
hundred million pounds. 



CHAPTER VIII 



KING S COLLEGE 



NO greater activity was ever manifested in promoting 
the educational welfare of London than that which 
characterised the foundation of King's College. With the 
close of the French War, in 1815, began a period of rest 
and recuperation, out of which by and by grew a move- 
ment towards domestic reform under the influence of 
Canning and Huskisson. This movement was particularly 
marked in the direction of education. People of all classes 
exhibited the desire for knowledge, and in many quarters 
the value of technical training in connection with industrial 
and commercial progress was fully recognised. The interest 
aroused by the establishment of *' British " and " National " 
Schools under religious control already showed the necessity 
for public measures, but although the Parliamentary Com- 
mittee of 1 8 16 recommended immediate steps for the 
benefit of the Metropolis, all further action on the part 
of the Government was delayed. For the poorer classes 
there was as yet practically no provision of teaching except 
such as was supplied by the voluntary exertion of philan- 
thropists, and even the well-to-do in quest of a higher 
education than was obtainable in the old-established colle- 
giate schools had no alternative but the narrow curriculum 
of Oxford or Cambridge. But the conception of the 
principles of education which had hitherto prevailed, and 



265 



266 SOMERSET HOUSE 

found in the two Universities ideal exemplification, now 
gave way before a general assertion of the intrinsic value of 
knowledge. The classical system, after centuries of un- 
challenged predominance, was suddenly subordinated to one 
which aimed at specialisation and the fitting of a student 
for the work of his after-life. The founding of University 
College in 1826 showed how deeply this new idea had taken 
root. Its curriculum embraced a far wider field than that 
of any other institution ; new subjects were co-ordinated 
with the old and theology was boldly excluded. This last 
provision naturally excited alarm in the leaders of the 
Church of England. They foresaw that the refusal to 
recognise religion in the educational system of an institution 
relying solely on instruction, and lacking the moral training 
inherent in the life of the residential school, might lead to 
results of the utmost detriment to a large section of the 
population ; and at once they considered by what means the 
evil could be avoided. 

Among those who thus testified their jealousy for the 
claims of theology the Reverend George D'Oyly, D.D., 
Rector of Lambeth, occupied a prominent place. Indeed, 
in a resolution passed by the Council of King's College at 
its first meeting after Dr. D'Oyly's death in 1846 it was 
stated that " by giving the first impulse and direction to 
public opinion he was virtually the founder of the College." 
His letter to Sir Robert Peel, criticising the purely secular 
system established at University College, was probably the 
earliest expression of the Church's view regarding the 
radical change which that institution had initiated, and it 
very quickly led to organised efforts in the direction of a 
counter-move. These took form in a meeting of the 
friends of King's College, held at the Freemasons' Tavern 
on Saturday, the 21st of June, 1828, under the presidency 
of the Duke of Wellington. Already the King had signi- 
fied his approbation of the project, to which in due time he 



KING'S COLLEGE 267 

granted his royal patronage and the title of "King's College, 
London." The first resolution adopted by the meeting 
at once made clear the ruling aim : it was provided 
that the College should be devoted to General Education 
" in which, while the various branches of Literature 
and Science are made the subjects of instruction, it shall 
be an essential part of the system to imbue the minds 
of youths with a knowledge of the doctrines and duties 
of Christianity as inculcated by the United Church of 
England and Ireland." But at the same time the fullest 
sympathy was expressed with the growing desire to enlarge 
the scope of education, and to treat the acquisition of know- 
ledge as an end in itself rather than the means to an end. 
The curriculum was to comprise religious and moral in- 
struction, classical learning, history, modern languages, 
mathematics, natural philosophy, medicine and surgery, 
chemistry, jurisprudence, &c. ; and to be so conducted as 
to provide in the most effectual manner for the two great 
objects of education as newly conceived, viz., the com- 
munication of general knowledge and specific preparation 
for particular professions. In order to adapt the College to 
the needs of students of all ages, it was divided into two 
departments, the Senior and the Junior, and thus designed 
to offer the most continuous and complete system of educa- 
tion at that time available. The necessary funds for its 
establishment were to be raised partly by donations and 
partly by subscription for shares of _^ioo each. At the 
close of the meeting a provisional committee was appointed 
to take the necessary steps for carrying the resolutions into 
effect. 

On the i6th ot May, 1829, the Archbishop of Canter- 
bury took the chair at a general meeting of donors and 
subscribers held at the Freemasons' Tavern to receive the 
report of the provisional committee. This report showed 
that rapid progress had been made. Largely owing to the 



268 SOMERSET HOUSE 

activity displayed in the City, and to the opening of books 
for donations and subscriptions at the chief banking houses, 
the funds at disposal for the building operations already 
totalled ^126,947 3s. 6d., drawn from all parts of the 
country. After much deliberation as to the respective 
advantages of twenty sites ojffered for the purpose of the 
building, the committee had applied to the Government for 
a grant of the vacant ground lying to the east of Somerset 
House, This was chosen because " it seemed desirable, 
since it held a central position and had facilities of access 
from every quarter " ; and the Government granted it on the 
sole condition that the College should be erected on a plan 
which would complete the river front of Somerset House 
at its eastern extremity in accordance with the original 
design of Sir William Chambers, In the choice of an 
architect to carry out the idea, no difficulty was experienced, 
the appointment falling to Mr. Robert Smirke, who, besides 
being Treasurer of the Royal Academy and Architect to 
the Board of Works, occupied an eminent position among 
architects in virtue of his great public works at the General 
Post Office and the British Museum, i The plans which 
had been drawn up comprehended a chapel, a public hall, a 
library and museum, ten lecture-rooms, a house for the 

^ Robert Smirke was born in London on the ist of October, 1781. 
At the age of fifteen he entered the Royal Academy schools at Somerset 
House, and was soon afterwards articled to Sir John Soane, architect of the 
Bank of England. In 1799 he gained the Academy's gold medal by a 
design for a National Gallery. From 1801 to 1805 he studied the great 
buildings of Italy, Sicily, and Greece. On his return to England he was 
occupied in carrying out his designs at Lowther and Eastnor Castles, 
buildings in the mediaeval style which he used occasionally in later works, 
though for the most part his style was severely classical. To his abilities 
the Metropolis is indebted for several of its finest buildings — the Mint, 
erected 1 809-11, the General Post Office (1823-27), the British Museum 
(1823-47), King's College (1828-34), ^^^ Custom House (central por- 
tion), the College of Physicians (1825), and the Junior United Service 
Club, Smirke was elected A.R.A. in 1808, and R.A. in 181 1. He 
was Treasurer of the Academy from 1820 to 1850. In 1832 he received 
the honour of knighthood. He died the i8th of April, 1867. 



KING'S COLLEGE 269 

Principal, and apartments for the various professors, to- 
gether with such other rooms as would be found necessary 
for carrying on the business of the institution with reference 
to the Senior Department. Owing to the peculiar nature of 
the ground, extensive accommodation would be obtainable 
in the lower part of the building, where it was proposed to 
locate the whole of the Junior Department. Mr. Smirke's 
estimate of the cost of the operations demanded an outlay 
of ^170,000, made up of four items : — 

Completion of the proposed buildings ... ... j^i 40,000 

Furniture ... ... ... ... ... ... 10,000 

Purchase of a house standing on the site and of two 

houses for an opening into the Strand ... ... 17,000 

Incidental expenses ... ... ... ... 3i°°° 

After this statement of the position, it was resolved to 
prosecute the design with the utmost speed. Specifications 
for the construction of the College were drawn up in July, 
on the 29th of August a tender was accepted for erecting 
the carcase or shell of the entire building at a cost of 
^^63,947, and on the loth of September, 1829, the works 
were commenced. 

The College was incorporated by a Charter granted under 
the Royal Seal on the 14th of August, 1829, and there- 
after all arrangements connected with it were in the hands 
of a Council nominated in the Charter. This Council 
reported annually to the Court of Governors and Proprie- 
tors, which consisted of forty-two members, nine of whom 
were official Governors, one the Treasurer, eight Life Gover- 
nors, and a Committee of twenty-four members, of whom 
six retired each year and were replaced by an equal number 
elected by the Proprietors from a list prepared by the 
Governors. The visitation of the College was undertaken 
by the Archbishop of Canterbury ; and the Archbishop of 
York, the Lord Chancellor, the Bishop of London, the 



270 SOMERSET HOUSE 

Dean of St. Paul's and the Dean of Westminster, represent- 
ing the Church of England, were among the Governors 
ex officio. In later years the composition of the Governing 
body has been modified only as to the nomination of one 
representative each by the London and the Surrey County 
Councils. 

Concerning the site occupied by the College, much has 
been told in an earlier chapter in connection with the build- 
ing of old Somerset House. It forms the eastern portion 
of the space which was "made level ground In 1549." 
Prior to that date it was probably occupied partly by 
Chester Inn, and the "fair coemitory," of which Stow 
speaks in reference to the Church of Our Lady and the 
Innocents at the Strand. During the reign of Elizabeth it 
was a piece of garden ground attached to Somerset House, 
and when Anne of Denmark came to reside there she leased 
it to John Gerrard, the famous herbarist, who had access to 
it through a door in the wall which fenced it on the side of 
Strand Bridge Lane. Very shortly afterwards, however, 
Anne recovered it for the extensions she proposed making 
in her palace. The northern part was then covered by the 
new buildings, and the remainder ran down to the river in 
two broad terraces laid out as a formal garden. At the 
demolition of old Somerset House the ground was again 
cleared, and had Sir William Chambers's design for the 
reconstruction been fully carried out, a row of private 
houses corresponding with the official residences attached 
to the Admiralty on the west side of the Quadrangle would 
have occupied the site, and the College might have stood 
anywhere but in its present position. Want of funds, no 
doubt, explained the limitation of Chambers's plan. Part of 
the roadway leading to the terrace and the subway to the 
landing-place for boats, were indeed constructed, but the 
remaining space was left unoccupied except by a builder's 
yard attached to the Office of Works. 



'^":i^l::!I 




q 



KING'S COLLEGE 271 

When the operations were suspended, many who had in 
view the completion of the magnificent frontage designed 
towards the river, gave pubHc expression to their disap- 
pointment, and though the Government of the day forbore 
to take action, it was not allowed to lose sight of the origi- 
nal project. In 1819, a letter addressed to the Earl of 
Liverpool, then Prime Minister, by John Wilson Croker, 
LL.D., F.R.S., urged the completion of a new wing on the 
east of Somerset House for a National Gallery of Painting 
and Sculpture, and the purchase of the brick houses crowding 
the Strand front, in order that the fagade on that side might 
be extended in harmony with Chambers' design. But to 
such appeals, however reasonably supported, a British 
Cabinet invariably wails its non possumus. The ground 
remained vacant, and when the Provisional Committee of 
the friends of King's College offered to remove the reproach 
of the unfinished facade without assistance from the public 
purse, probably the official heart was glad. 

The building thus provided for has a frontage of 304 feet 
towards the west, and an extreme depth of 1 20 feet in the 
central section. It represents one of the more important 
undertakings of Sir Robert Smirke, and though designed in 
the same style as Somerset House, is an individual and 
characteristic work. Like Somerset House, it is in five 
storeys, two below the ground level and three above ; and, 
in keeping with the recognised qualities of Smirke's designs, 
its contour is severe and the treatment sombre and dignified, 
with few ornamental features. The facade consists of a 
centre and two wings, all slightly advanced from the body 
of the structure. The first storey forms a continuous 
arcade of windows, except in the central block, and at two 
other points, where the arches serve the purpose of door- 
ways. The windows of the second and third storeys are 
dressed with light mouldings, and the sills form continuous 
courses from end to end of the building. In the centre, 



272 SOMERSET HOUSE 

four fluted columns and two pilasters, with composite 
capitals copied from those of Somerset House, embrace the 
second and third storeys ; in the wings pilasters take the 
place of the columns. Correcting the error into which 
Chambers had fallen by the too extensive rustication of the 
wall spaces, Smirke left the whole surface smooth, with the 
result that it maintains a general air of cleanliness as com- 
pared with the grimy appearance of the great Quadrangle 
when seen in a dismal light. The building reflects the 
Northern temperament, which Smirke had inherited from 
his father, a clever, but eccentric Cumbrian painter. There 
is a cold solemnity in its general aspect, and yet a sugges- 
tion of the massive grandeur which was afterwards so 
triumphantly achieved in his masterpiece, the British 
Museum. 

As regards the interior plan, a spacious entrance-hall, 
embracing both the first and second storeys, fills the central 
portion in front ; in the rear of this, on the ground floor, 
is a room, 72 feet long by 52 feet wide, for examination pur- 
poses and public occasions, above which, on the first floor, is 
a chapel providing seats for seven or eight hundred stu- 
dents. Occupying the same position on the lower ground 
floor is the large schoolroom of the junior department. 
Ten principal lecture-rooms, designed to accommodate at 
least two thousand students, and the various laboratories, 
class-rooms, &c., are conveniently arranged in the remainder 
of the building. Two extensive suites on the first floor 
are, however, occupied by the Library and the Museum. 
The principal's house is placed on the river front, whence a 
magnificent panorama unfolds itself in all directions. 

The foundations of the whole edifice were in position by 
the beginning of May, 1830, and early in October, 1831, 
portions of the superstructure were so far advanced as to 
admit of a commencement of the educational work of the 
College. At the formal opening a service was held in the 



CKOV/NDrLGDR 
PLAN- 

" /NOTt IMt ROOMS AkE 5MCWN 
■NmBCKtDASW fRESENT V5E ■ 




From a drawing hy Mr. Harold Hillyer, reproduced by his Icmd permission 
and that of the Editor of " The British Architect." 
To face page 272. 



KING'S COLLEGE 273 

chapel, and the Bishop of London (Blomfield), in the course 
of his sermon on " the Combination of Religious Instruc- 
tion with Intellectual Culture," again enunciated the ruling 
object of the new institution. *' Our desire," he said, " is 
to erect the shrine of Science and Literature within the 
precincts of the Sanctuary ; to lay the foundations of public 
usefulness and individual happiness on the ground of right 
principles ; and to promote the best interests of Society by 
methods which tend to the glory of God." During the 
term thus inaugurated introductory lectures were delivered 
by G. T. Burnett, in Botany ; J. F. Daniel!, F.R.S., in 
Chemistry ; J. Anstice, in Classical Literature ; Gabriel 
Rossetti, in Italian ; L. T. Ventouillac, in French ; and 
A. Bernays, in German. The first lecture at the separate 
opening of the Medical Department, in 1832, was delivered 
by Professor Green ; and in the same term the first lecture 
in Hebrew and Rabbinical literature was given by Professor 
Alexander. But although the College now remained open 
and carried on effective work, only those rooms had been 
finished which were necessary for a beginning. Much of 
the edifice was still uncompleted in 1833, ^^^ ^ot until 
1834 were the operations ended. 

Under the direction of the Reverend William Otter, 
M.A. (afterwards Bishop of Chichester), who had been 
appointed its first principal, the College quickly attracted a 
large number of students. It had first its Department of 
Liberal Education, including that which was originally 
called the " Senior Department," but which became known 
a little later as the " Department of General Literature and 
Science," and the School, at first called the " Junior Depart- 
ment," and intended to serve as a preparation for the Senior 
Department. To these was soon added the earliest of the 
technical schools, viz., the Medical Department. For 
general instruction both in the College and in the School 
came those who, while they wanted still to take up Latin 

18 



274 SOMERSET HOUSE 

and Greek, desired to be taught other subjects also — mathe- 
matics, modern languages, and physics ; and as it was not 
then the fashion to keep boys at school up to nineteen or 
twenty years of age, the Senior Department received not only 
those who intended to enter professions directly from it, but 
also many who were going on to the Universities, and who 
found in the larger and freer system of the College what 
they could not then gain at the Public Schools. In those 
days the number of occasional students attending this or 
that course of lectures was much larger in comparison with 
the number of matriculated students able to take up the full 
prescribed course than it has been more recently. Thus in 
1833 the number of matriculated students was 186, as 
compared with 429 occasional students, while in 1880 
(excluding the Evening Classes) the proportion had changed 
to 350 and 58. It is thus seen that the general tendency at 
King's College has been to follow out a regular scheme of 
instruction rather than any special branch of study. 

In 1838 the rise of the engineering profession in connec- 
tion with the advent of the steam locomotive brought about 
the establishment of a second technical school, at first called 
the Engineering Department, but afterwards enlarging its 
scope under the more comprehensive title of the " Depart- 
ment of Applied Sciences." At the outset it was in idea 
simply a technical school. But its curriculum included a 
fuller study than had hitherto been found possible of the 
Physical Sciences, and this theoretical element by and by 
gained a position of co-ordinate importance with the more 
particular studies of engineering. 

The King's College Hospital was instituted in 1839, 
partly with the aim of increasing the general efficiency of 
the Medical School, and partly also for the relief of the 
distressed poor in Clare Market and the surrounding dis- 
trict, at that time one of the most densely-peopled quarters 
of London. At first the hospital occupied an old building 



KING'S COLLEGE 275 

in Portugal Street, formerly used as a workhouse. There 
it was opened in April, 1840, with fifty of the one hundred 
and twenty beds it was thought capable of furnishing. The 
arrangement was, however, only a temporary one. As soon 
as sufficient funds were available it was resolved to erect a 
new building designed in accordance with more modern 
ideas, and equipped in every department with the best 
appliances. Accordingly building operations were begun in 
1852, and gradually, as funds came to hand, the whole 
design was completed. By the end of 1861 the new 
hospital had been placed in full working order at a cost 
exceeding ^100,000. This was the first hospital in London 
to entrust the superintendence of its nursing to the volun- 
tary devotion of a sisterhood. 

A separate Theological Department was established in 
1847, under the principalship of Dr. Jelf, with the object 
of preparing both graduates and non-graduates for holy 
orders. The multiplication of small benefices and the 
dearth of candidates for the ministry had rendered the 
establishment of a school such as was now opened almost a 
necessity. Of its earlier professors two have since been 
widely honoured — the Rev. Frederick Denison Maurice and 
the Rev. (afterwards Archbishop) Chenevix Trench. It 
was one of the first theological colleges in England to 
receive non-graduates, and its success stimulated the forma- 
tion of many others now organised on similar lines. In 
connection with its early work arose the only controversy 
which has disturbed the College since its foundation. In 
consequence of the publication of a volume of theological 
essays by the Rev. F. D. Maurice, advancing certain 
speculations on the subject of punishment after death, the 
Council called upon him in 1853 to resign his Professorship 
of Ecclesiastical History, deeming his speculations of 
"dangerous tendency, and calculated to unsettle the minds 
of the students." 



276 SOMERSET HOUSE 

During the year 1856 a great development was made in 
the system of teaching by the introduction of evening 
classes. These offered to a different class of student, under 
different conditions, the same branches of learning as were 
already provided in the morning classes, and preserved 
as much of fulness and continuous arrangement as was 
possible in the altered circumstances. They attracted men, 
who, though engaged during the day in various occupations, 
had yet time and the intellectual energy for evening work ; 
and from the outset they were found to supply a real need. 
Arrangements were eventually made by which students of 
these classes might attain the Associateship of the College, 
and courses of technical education were organised in con- 
nection with them. In 1854, when the Home Civil Service 
was reformed, and the influence of patronage gave place 
to competitive examinations, daily lectures were provided 
for intending candidates, but these were soon afterwards 
transferred to the department of the evening classes, and 
ever since have secured a large attendance and successful 
results. 

Another addition to the scheme was the Oriental Section, 
formed in 1861 with a view to the further instruction 
in Oriental languages and Indian law of successful com- 
petitors for appointments in the Indian Civil Service. But 
when it was found that the knowledge absolutely necessary 
could be acquired under private tutors without the more 
systematic study demanded at the College the section 
received decreasing support, and was eventually dropped. 
The year 1880 was marked by the opening of the Schools 
of Practical Art, complementary to the regular instruc- 
tion in drawing supplied both in the College and the 
School. A Professorship of Practical Fine Art (that is, 
of fine art applied to various manufactures) was founded 
and partially endowed by the City and Guilds of London 
Technical Institute. In the same year, through the interest 




M 



KING'S COLLEGE 277 

and aid of that Institute, a Metallurgical School and Labora- 
tory was equipped for effective work. 

The jubilee of the College was celebrated in 1881 by the 
addition of the Women's Department, now conducted at 
13, Kensington Square. It had the object of extending 
to the higher education of women the work which the 
College, during the fifty years just past, had done for men. 
Though carried on in a separate locality, this department 
forms an integral part of the College, and has been attended 
with marked success. 

Of the structural alterations which have taken place since 
the completion of the building in 1834, those applied in the 
remodelling and decoration of the chapel are important. 
They were designed and partly carried out under the 
superintendence of the late Sir George Gilbert Scott, and 
though begun in the early seventies, were not finished until 
1 88 1. The addition of an apse to receive the altar, and 
the elaborate decorations in colour, have produced a most 
effective interior. 

In the semi-dome of the apse is a representation of the 
Saviour in majesty with adoring angels. The carved cornice 
from which the semi-dome springs is richly gilt, and beneath 
it the wall spaces are diapered in quiet colour. The dado 
is of alabaster inlaid with fine marbles. The arcades sustain- 
ing the clerestory are treated with colour and gold in lines 
and medalHons conforming with the structural details of the 
architecture. In the spandrils of the arches are figures 
of S. Clement of Alexandria, S. Athanasius, S. Chrysostom, 
S. Basil, S. Ambrose, S. Augustine, S. Jerome, S. Gregory, 
Richard Hooker, Lancelot Andrews, Jeremy Taylor, and 
John Pearson. Latin inscriptions are introduced on the 
side walls, around the arches, and in horizontal lines under 
the clerestory windows. The iron columns supporting the 
arcade are coloured in green and gold, and the wall space 
above the apsidal arch is decorated with circular medallions 



278 SOMERSET HOUSE 

of appropriate subjects. On each side of the arch is a large 
panel elaborately adorned with ornament of a foliated 
character, and figures bearing scrolls inscribed with the 
College motto, Sancte et Sapienter^ and other mottoes asso- 
ciated with the older seats of learning. At the western end, 
above the main doorway, the organ is a striking feature. 
The wall spaces on each side of it are painted with an arcade 
and angelic figures bearing musical instruments. In 1882 
a lantern erected in the roof considerably improved both 
the lighting and ventilation. Every morning a short service 
is conducted in this chapel, and students, not specially 
exempted from so doing on the plea of conscience, are 
expected to attend. 

Somewhat later, the erection of an attic storey over the 
central doorway for the Siemens Laboratory of electrical 
engineering, and of a Mansard roof on each of the wings, 
providing additional space for a lecture theatre and the 
wood-carving section, altered the general appearance of the 
main facade. During 1899 and 1900, as the result of a 
comprehensive scheme of extension and improvement in the 
teaching accommodation, the rear of the south wing was 
raised by an additional storey. This enabled the Geological, 
Botanical, Anatomical, Architectural, and Mechanical De- 
partments to be considerably augmented, and at the same 
time supplied with the latest type of equipment. The 
second storey of the North Wing was also largely recon- 
structed for the improvement of the departments of 
Physiology and Bacteriology. In this way the College has 
kept pace with modern developments in scientific research, 
and its students have been given the advantage of excellent 
appliances in every department. 

There is a large general library for the use of students, 
a medical library and osteological collection available either 
for ordinary studies or research work ; the Marsden Library 
of Oriental literature, containing unique and rare editions 



KING'S COLLEGE 279 

of philological works, and the Wheatstone Library of works 
bearing on electricity and the kindred sciences up to the 
year 1875. The Museum contains the valuable collection 
of mechanical models and philosophical instruments formed 
by George III. at Kew, and presented to the College by 
Oueen Victoria in 1842. Here also is the experimental 
apparatus used by Wheatstone, and a complete equipment 
of apparatus needed to illustrate the various lectures in 
physics. For many years this Museum exhibited Babbage's 
famous calculating machine, but recently it was transferred 
to the science galleries at South Kensington. Valuable 
collections of natural history, anatomical, pathological, 
materia medica and pharmacological specimens have been 
formed or presented for the use of students. The Archi- 
tectural department occupies a room some 60 feet long 
by 30 feet wide, and contains, besides a complete museum 
of building construction, a valuable series of drawings by the 
late Sir George Gilbert Scott. 

Under the University of London Act, 1898, King's 
College is constituted a school of the University in all its 
faculties. The general educational work is now conducted 
in several distinct but connected faculties and departments, 
viz. : (i) Theology ; (2) Arts ; (3) Science ; (4) Engineer- 
ing and Applied Science ; (5) Medicine ; (6) Women's 
Department ; (7) King's College School (situated on 
Wimbledon Common) ; (8) Civil Service Department 
(Evening) ; and (9) the Strand (Day) School for Com- 
merce and the Civil Service. During the Lent term of 
1903 the number of students attached to one or other 
of the various branches was 3,437. 

At present the whole of the expenditure necessitated by 
the every-day work is defrayed out ot students' fees, the 
only endowment being appropriated to certain prizes, 
scholarships, and professorships, classical and scientific. 
An appeal has lately been issued, however, for a sum of 



280 SOMERSET HOUSE 

^500,000, which would enable the College to provide 
modern instruction in all faculties alike, and thus increase 
the efficiency of the remodelled University of London as 
a teaching centre. 

Throughout the seventy years of its existence King's 
College has rendered great service to higher education and 
the general advancement of learning. With a single excep- 
tion it is the only institution in the Metropolis where the 
teachers and students of widely different subjects, by being 
brought into social and intellectual contact, are lifted out of 
the narrow professional grooves and esoteric habit of mind 
which undoubtedly detract from the value of schools 
now devoted exclusively to single subjects. Here the 
unity of all knowledge is continually asserting itself, and 
highly-specialised branches of study take a proper perspec- 
tive from their association with science and learning as a 
whole. The advantage of this arrangement surely cannot 
be over-estimated. In the application of scientific method 
to industrial pursuits there is an immediate appeal to all 
classes ; as a people we habitually look to technical educa- 
tion for the maintenance of our eminent position in the 
international struggle. But while we thus contrive to pre- 
serve a commercial supremacy by development on particular 
lines, the broader and more permanent claims of education 
are apt to be lost sight of, and the self-sacrifice of those 
whose devotion to pure science builds up the foundation on 
which the whole superstructure of its practical utility must 
rest often passes unrecognised. Thus, while no effort has 
been spared to render the department of the applied sciences 
efficient and fully equipped, research and the finer influences 
of scholarship co-operate in the educational activities of 
King's College. It remains as it was first designed, a temple 
of the humanities ; and the names of many who sacrificed 
themselves in its service have merited perdurable renown. 
Among them are counted Archbishop Trench and Frederick 



KING'S COLLEGE 281 

Denison Maurice in Theology, Samuel Rawson Gardiner in 
Modern History, Bishop Lonsdale in Classical Literature, 
Nassau Senior in Economics, Wheatstone and Clerk 
Maxwell in Physics, Lyell and Ansted in Geology, Hughes 
in Anatomy, Lister in Medicine, Wm. Dyce in Art, John 
Hullah and Dr. Monk in Music. King's College was the 
first institution in this country to provide laboratories for 
physics and bacteriology, and its hospital was the first home 
in London of antiseptic surgery, the most remarkable 
application of modern science in the alleviation of human 
suffering. 

Sancte et sapienter : devoutly and wisely. The choice of 
that motto was not vainly made. 



APPENDIX I 



THE GREAT SALE 

Whatever crimes may have stained the political record of Charles 
the First, and led a resentful people to efface them in his blood, as 
a patron of the Arts the English nation remains under an obligation 
to him which it will be slow to understand and undesirous ever to 
requite. While the country suffered under the narrowing influences 
of Puritanism, and erudite men rejected as vain and pernicious all 
ornament and outward display, Charles was quietly forming a collection 
of pictures and other artistic objects, which by and by stood unrivalled 
among the galleries of Europe. No doubt it was the gratification of 
his own desires which induced him to lavish treasure upon these hateful 
baubles ; assuredly they were of small account to the populace of 
his day ; but we cannot now look back upon the result of his ardent 
connoisseurship except with feelings of amazement at its splendour 
and grief at its untimely dissolution. Charles may perhaps be accounted 
the founder of our English School of painting. He did much, not 
only by his enthusiastic and discriminating activity as a collector, but 
also by inviting distinguished painters from the Continent to accept 
commissions at his Court, to improve the standard of taste in England. 
Even Vandyck, the illustrious master of portraiture, was induced to 
live permanently in London, where his influence kindled enthusiasm 
among the native artists and inaugurated the succession of famous 
craftsmen — from Lely to Reynolds — who have modelled their styles 
upon his own. Evidence is not wanting that the King himself possessed 
an excellent skill with the brush ; he was not the mere pleasure-seeking 
dilettante personified in his friend George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham ; 
and at any rate he must have been highly expert as a critic, and catholic 



284 APPENDIX 

if fastidious, in his taste. His early interest in the formation of a gallery- 
was sustained by the eager co-operation of the Earl of Arundel (the 
"Father of vertu in England") and other noblemen who sympathised 
with his desires ; but on ascending the throne he began a systematic 
collection through the medium of trusty agents. Sir Dudley Carleton 
and Sir Balthasar Gerbier in the Netherlands, Nicholas Lanier and 
Daniel Nys in Italy, Michael Cross and Henry Stone in Spain, let 
slip no opportunity of enriching their royal master's gallery with noble 
works of Art. The pictures and other objects thus acquired were 
utilised to adorn the royal palaces, particularly, perhaps, those of White- 
hall and St. James. Many of the most famous, however, were placed 
permanently in the apartments of Henrietta Maria at Somerset House. 

The King's interest in his artistic treasures was both deep and 
unwavering. His keen appreciation of certain favourite works led 
him to have them copied, so that in whichever of his palaces he chanced 
to find himself, the memory of their charm might be refreshed. In 
1637 he caused to be erected at great expense a new covered chamber 
at Whitehall for the performance of masques, because " he would 
not have his pictures in the Banqueting-house hurt with lights." And 
one of his last injunctions was for the safeguarding of "his household 
goods and movables of all sorts," particularly three valuable pictures 
which he held on loan and desired to restore to their rightful owners. 

How important was the collection Charles had formed may be 
judged from the fact that its pictures alone numbered 1,760 and included 
54 canvases by Titian, 15 by Tintoretto, 18 by Correggio, 14 by 
Giorgione, 8 by Andrea del Sarto, 12 by Palma il Vecchio, 3 1 by 
Guilio Romano, 8 by Rubens, 31 by Vandyck, and 23 by Holbein, 
besides a splendid representation ot Leonardo, Raphael, Andrea 
Mantegna and Pordenone. No gallery, public or private, has ever 
seriously rivalled this of Charles the First in its magnificent display 
of the masterpieces of sixteenth-century Italy. But the popular 
judgment upon the King was judgment also upon the ideas and traditions 
he had fostered. Triumphantly the Puritans purged England of her 
vanities, and though at the instance of Cromwell a few monumental 
works were reserved and taken to Hampton Court, the great service 
which Charles had rendered to his people was ruthlessly undone. 

When Parliament resolved to disperse the royal treasures for the 
benefit of the regicide army, a great part of the collection was 
accumulated at Somerset House and there inventoried, appraised, and 
sold. The Commission appointed for this purpose included George 
Wither the poet, and Jan van Belcamp, chosen no doubt for his 
proficiency as a painter. Nothing resembling a public auction was 



APPENDIX 285 

held, but bids were taken either from individual buyers or contracting 
partners, and the highest figures were accepted at the discretion of 
the Commissioners. The extant register of these sale contracts reckons 
the total value of the goods disposed of at ;^i 18,080 ics. 2d. in 
the currency of the day. 

To this sale nearly all the principal galleries of modern Europe 
owe several masterpieces, Madrid, Vienna, and Paris especially being 
enriched. Other pictures passed into the hands of English noblemen 
and private speculators; and though at the accession of Charles II. 
many valuable canvases found their way back to the royal palaces, the 
unique position .the King's collection had attained under Charles I. 
had been finally lost, and priceless examples of the great masters which 
might to-day have distinguished our own National Gallery passed to 
their honourable places in the museums of the Continent. 

We extract from a manuscript inventory of the " Plate, Goods, 
Pictures, Statues, Regalia, &c., of King Charles the First as taken, 
appraised, and sold at the Several Royal palaces," a list of the principal 
objects which were brought to Somerset House and disposed of in 
the great sale which began in 1649 ^"*^ '^^'^ ^'^^ finally end until 
1652. Better than any other record we possess, this inventory enables 
us to form a conception of the magnificent surroundings in which 
Henrietta Maria kept her Court. It contains, moreover, many curious 
items : a Magdalen is valued at ^^ 10, a saint at los, a pope at is. Five 
popish books are not valued at all. A French bed of embroidered 
satin is worth j^ 1,000, tapestry of Vulcan and Venus £^ los. an ell, 
and of Samson but 2S. an ell. The descriptions of the pictures are 
brief and inexact ; and in all but the finest works the name of the 
painter is ignored. With the help of the Register of the Sale Contracts 
and other authentic documents, however, it has been possible to 
trace a few pictures in their passage from Somerset House to their 
present places in the galleries of Europe. In such cases, where the 
identity has been satisfactorily established, a descriptive note is added 
to the list. 



Chappell Goods at Somerset House. 

£ s. d. 
One coape and two shoulder pieces of damask trimmed with 

gold ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 5 o o 

Two pieces for the altar suitable ... ... ... ... 8 o o 

Two ditto ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 300 

A Coape of white damask ... ... ... ... ... 2 10 o 



286 



APPENDIX 



Covers for Challices. 



One or embroidered sattin 

Another of purple ditto, with H.S, 

Another of black sattin, with Death's 

Two of green sattin ... 

One of black grogram 

Six cushions of crimson damask 

Tenn wafer baggs 

Five Popish books 

Thirteen surplices 

Eight altar clothes 

Eleven borders of tafFaty 



Head 



£, 


s. 


d. 


5 





o 


I 


lO 


o 


2 


lO 


o 


3 


o 


o 


o 


8 


o 


I 


lO 


o 


2 


10 


o 


6 


o 


o 


2 


o 


o 


I 


lO 






Vessels of Terra Sigillata, or Buckroe Earth. 



One great vase, one tunn, one syllabubb pott, four 
long spout pott, a baskett, two red gilt potts, 
pott 

Five perfuming potts ... 

A barometer ... 

An ebony cabinet 

A branch of wild corrall 

A curious ivory cupp ... 

A gilt rail for a bed 

The images belonging to a pavillion 

Mary and the Child in the Clouds, in marbl 

Wise Men's offering, ditto 

A Magdalen asleep 

Mary and the Child, in a garden 

A Magdalen 

Christ and an angel, on marble 

A child sitting upon a cushion 

Mary and the Child with a garland 

Ditto 

A Magdalen, kneeling to a crucifix 

Peter with the keys ... 

A Magdalen in a blew garment 

Mary and the Angel ... 

Christ naked ... 

A Pope in white sattin 



cupps, a 
one flatt 








8o 


o 


o 






lO 


o 


o 






o 


10 









2 


lO 


o 






I 


10 


o 






+ 


o 


o 






5 


o 


o 






lO 


o 


o 






3 












5 


o 









3 


o 


o 






2 


lO 


o 






lO 


o 


o 






3 


o 


o 






o 


lO 


o 








10 


o 








o 


o 








o 


o 








lO 


o 








o 


o 






5 





o 






2 


o 


o 






O 


I 


o 



APPENDIX 287 



L 


s. 


d. 


o 


10 





20 








5 








2 








2 








I 








5 








10 








40 








10 








I 









A Saint 

Mary and Joseph 
Ditto and the child ... 
Ditto and ditto 

A Magdalen 

A Salutation ... 

An anatomy in brass ... 

A piece of painting in water colours .. 

One great piece of embroidered work 

Seven heads of clay 

A Dutchess of Savoy ... 



Goods valued the 28th November, 165 i, being appraised as discovered 
BY Mr. Rumball for William Winthurst. 

A book of Camden's works in an embroidered case ... 

A chess-table of silver, with 30 men silver and christial 

Diana, in alabaster 

A picture done on glass 

A draught of a ship 

A dark piece ... 

The king of Denmark 

A chest of Phialls 

Two books, one of the Order of the Knights of the Garter, 

the other a French History ... ... ... ... I 10 



3 








30 








2 


10 





1 


10 








10 





I 








I 








3 









Goods valued Nov. 28, 165 1. 



An organ 

A sword 

Another, smaller 
A piece of perspective 
Two old cisterns 



10 








42 








10 








2 


10 





3 


10 






Received from the Library. 



Two cymballs of brass 

Two pair of stirrups and a pair of spurrs 

An elephant's tooth 

A small marble statue 

Part of an old clock ... 






10 





2 








I 


10 





2 








2 









£ 


s. d. 


4 


o o 


55 


9 9 


45 


o o 



i6o 








io6 








i8 








8 








48 


5 





6 


10 






288 APPENDIX 



Goods valued with Mr. Brown,^ Nov. 12, 1651. 

An old counterpain of carnation damask laced with silver ... 
Furniture for a bed of velvet and carnation damask laced with 

rich lace, and fringed with gold 
A Canopy of cloth of silver ... 



Several Things received from some Gentlemen and now remain in 
Somerset House Closet in Mr. Henry Brown's Charge. 

A garter of blew velvet set with 412 diamonds 

A collar of SS. 

The handle of a riding rodd, weight 4^ozs. 8dwts. ... 

A silver seal, called the Dutch-seal, weight 32 ozs. at SS. 

Gold and silver belonging to an old cross 

A perfuming pan 



A True and Perfect Inventory of the Goods in Denmark House, 
appraised, as follows, in August, 1649. 

Imprimis. Five pieces of arras hangings of King David, 331 

ells at ;^3 per ell Flemish ... ... ... ... 994 

Three pieces of arras, of Sampson, 155 ells at 2s ... ... 15 

Six pieces of Charles Brandon, 365 ells as 15s ... ... 276 

Three pieces of Arras of Vulcan and Venus, 435 ells at j^3 

per ell 1305 o 

Eight pieces of new arras of King Hezekiah, 301 ells at 30s. 

perell ... 452 5 

Seven pieces of fine tapestry of Hercules, 327 ells at 6s. 4d. 

per ell 

Eight pieces of tapestry, of battles, being 225 ells 

Three pieces with figures called the Council Chamber 

Six pieces of purple velvet, 216 yards at 30s. per yard 

Four pieces of damask embroidered with silver, 116 yards at 

I OS. per yard ... ... ... ... ... ... 5^ ° o 

Seven pieces of white sattin embroidered with gold and silver 

twist, 189 yards at I OS. per yard ... ... ... 108 10 o 

Six pieces of Vulcan and Venus, 205 ells, at £^ los. ... 924 15 o 

Six pieces, ditto, 1 56 ells at ditto ... ... ... ... 546 

' Keeper of Somerset House. 



10 





10 





15 






109 

59 
6 






15 


325 


2 



o 



APPENDIX 



289 



Carpetts. 

One for a cupboard, of purple velvet with antique work, 

embroidered in silver 
One of purple cloth ... 
One of velvet embroidered with roses 
One with a silver ground with an elephant in the middle 
One of crimson velvet 

Another rich of ditto, embroidered with gold 
One crimson sattin, embroidered with gold 
One crimson velvet, embroidered with gold and silver 
Three Persian ditto, gold ground 

(Sold Capt. Fooch 2 Nov., 1649, for _^ 21.) 
Two large Persian carpetts 
One ditto 
Four Turkey ditto 
Eleven ditto ... 
Two English carpetts 
Ten small Turkey carpetts 
Fourteen window curtains 
Thirteen ditto of many sorts 

A cloth of state of purple velvet embroidered with gold 
Another cloth of state, of crimson velvet, with A.I.R., A.R 

and I.R. in gold ... 

(Sold Mr. Boulton for X'O^ J°s.) 
A cloth of state of crimson velvet, with curtains of crimson 

damask 



£ s. d. 



• 35 








. 10 








. 10 








. 10 








. 10 








. 12 








. 30 








. 40 








. 20 








. 80 








. 13 








. 44 








• 43 


15 





• 4 


10 





. 6 


10 





• 31 








. 14 


H 





. 80 








.' q8 


10 






40 o o 



Cannopies. 

One of crimson velvet 

One of cloth of silver 

One of crimson sattin 

One of green velvet ... 

One of orange coloured cloth 

One of crimson velvet 

A round cannopy to hang over a bed, with a golden 

top 
A cannopy of cloth of silver ... 
Another ditto with gold lace ... 
Two China screens 

19 



at 



95 








56 








30 








71 


10 





33 








40 








40 








25 








31 


15 





4 









290 



APPENDIX 



Pavillions. 

One of cloth of silver garnished with gold 

One other little round one of gold and tyncell 

A high chair and three square stools of gold and silver stufFe 

striped 
A low chair of crimson velvet 

A chair with wheels, of crimson velvet, embroidered 
Eighteen high stools of striped gold stuff 
Two short cushions of crimson velvet, embroidered with gold 

and pearls 
Seven cushions of carnation sattin 

Two long cushions of crimson sattin embroidered with gold 
A field bedstead apparrelled with crimson velvet embroidered 

with gold and pearls 
A bedstead with crimson cloth of gold tissue 
A field bed of sattin, banded with flowers ot gold 
A purple velvet bed ... 

A counterpain of carnation satin embroidered with gold 
A cradle mantle of crimson velvet 

Nineteen wrought pillows, some with gold and some silk 
Fourteen fustian blanketts 
A leather cradle covered with carnation velvet 
A white sattin mantle lined with ermine 



£ 


s. 


d. 


90 








10 








12 








3 


10 





4 








9 








100 








H 








6 








400 








150 








50 








300 








8 








18 








19 








10 








I 


10 





43 









Queen Ann's Parliament or Coronation Robes. 

A robe of crimson velvet bordered with ermine 

Another of purple velvet 

A short gown with sleeves, &c. 



20 o o 
20 o o 
20 o o 



Robes of King Henry VIII. 

Two robes of white cloth of the order of St. Michael 

A gown with sleeves of purple sattin ... 

Another of uncutt velvett 

A cloak of carnation sattin, with a Spanish cape 

A coat with sleeves of peach-coloured cloth ... 

A high gown of crimson wrought velvett 

Nine embroidered coats 

Two chests containing pieces of garments 

Sixteen borders of gold wrought upon Holland 



... 20 








... 10 








2 


10 





... 8 








2 


10 





2 








... 18 








I 








2 









APPENDIX 



291 



Table Linen, &c. 

One sweet bag embroidered with gold 

A cushion cloth embroidered with silk 

Another cushion cloth embroidered ... 

A diaper table cloth with a dozen of napkins 

A waistcoat of white tafFaty ... 

A mantle of hair-coloured cloth 

A rich embroidered cushion of purple velvet 

A chest 

A rich scarfe wrought with gold 

A cover for bread and salt wrought with gold 

Another ditto ... 

Another ditto ... 

A cushion of cloth of callicoe, wrought with gold 

A cushion cloth 

Another ditto ... 

A cushion cloth of Holland 

A comb case of white sattin, 

embroidered 
An iron chest ... 
Four whole pieces of tissue, liver-coloured and silver, 

at £,z los. 
A piece of tissue, with a purple ground, 36 yards at ^ 
A piece of cloth of tissue, 10 yards and J, at ^^ i 
A whole piece of orange tawney cloth 
A whole piece of silver tissue, 24 yards at 30s. 
A whole piece of carnation sattin 
A piece of silk camblet, dd yards at 30s. per yard 
A whole piece of russet sattin, flowered 



with the arms of Denmark 



61 yards 



L 


s. 


d. 


I 








2 


10 





3 








5 








2 


10 





7 








5 








I 


5 





5 








I 


10 





I 


10 





2 








15 








2 


10 





2 


10 





1 








3 








8 








152 


10 





73 








10 


5 





60 








37 


2 


6 


12 


5 





99 








28 


16 






In a Cypress Chest. 



A green velvet carpet ... 

A China carpet of carnation velvet ... 

A cushion cloth and three pillowbears of lawn 

Another ditto ... 

A smock richly wrought in gold and silver ... 

A mantle of linen set with spangles 

An embroidered handkerchiefe 

A sweet bag of white sattin embroidered 



... 4 





... 3 





... 5 





2 





I 10 





... 5 





10 





... 5 






292 



APPENDIX 



A scarfe of carnation tafFaty, embroidered with pearl 

Another of ditto embroidered with silver 

A cupboard cloth of carnation sattin flowered with gold 

A carnation and silver hartlayed lace, 106 Dunces ... 

The headcloth of a bed of cloth of silver 

A counterpain of white sattin embroidered with gold 

A small chest of crimson sattin 

A small coffer of green velvet, studed with silver 

A standish of mother of pearl 

An eightsquare ebony table ... 

Another table of ebony 



30 o 

5 o 

2 o 

10 12 
5 o 
8 o 
I 10 

50 o 
10 o 
20 o 

3 o 



In the Second Cypress Chest. 

A box of ebony 

A green velvet table, with boxes and drawers 

A square table of white marble, on an ebony frame .. 

A billiard board covered with green cloth 

A wallnutt-tree drawing table 



I 10 o 

I 10 o 

1000 

500 

015 o 



Clocks. 

A clock in an ebony case 

Another in the same, garnished with silver ... 

Another in the fashion of a tortoise, all of silver 



100 








40 








100 









Looking Glasses. 

A looking-glass in a brass frame 

A small looking-glass set with silver gilt 

Another in an amber frame ... 

Another in russet sattin case ... 

Two ditto in ebony frames 

Another ditto ... 

Another in a frame of carnation velvet 

Another in a copper frame 

A pair of hand irons ... 

A pair ditto of brass ... 

A pair of bellows inlaid with mother of pearl 



... 15 


10 





... 20 








... 10 








... 10 








. ... 36 








... 40 








... 15 








2 








2 








... 24 











5 






APPENDIX 

A chrystiall galley upon four wheels, garnished with pearls 

and rubies, silver gilt ... 
A fruit dish of chrystiall set in white stone ... 
A pair of tables of white and yellow amber, garnished with 

silver 
A candlestick of amber garnished with silver 
Thirteen images of yellow amber 
An artificial rock with a crucifix of coral 
A perfuming pott of brass 
A pair of christian candlesticks 
A curious white ivory fann 
A pair of virginalls in a case of green velvet ... 
A lute, in a black leather case 
A pair of tables, enlaid wood, garnished with silver stones and 

pearls, &c. 
A chess board ... 
Five brass potts 

Five pieces of crimson and purple baudkins ... 
A large rich French bed of sattin, richly embroidered 
A large chair of deliverance of crimson velvet 
A rail and balluster to encompass the bed 
A marble table inlaid, upon a gilt frame 
A marble table inlaid and a cabinet of the same 
Two black ebony cabinetts 
Two fine ebony cabinetts ditto 
One cabinet 
An Indian chest 

(Sold 1 6 Oct., 1649, to Mr. Asqua.) 
A couch and six folding stooles of velvet and gold ... 
Two pieces of hangings suitable 
Fourteen porcelain water potts 
Two great beakers 
Two smaller ... 

One great porcelain bason on a foot of silver 
A cristial candlestick ... 

An ebony cabinet, with five images of solid silver 
A pier glass in an ebony frame with antique borders 
Another of the same ... 
Another in a wooden frame ... 
An ebony cabinet garnished, on a brass frame 
A large tortoiseshcll cabinet painted... 





293 


£ 


s. 


d. 


100 








15 








30 








30 








10 








10 








5 








6 








5 








10 








3 








80 








2 








12 


10 





10 








1000 








5 








12 








40 








60 








5 








60 








25 








10 








25 








77 








7 








I 


10 








10 





40 








12 








30 








50 








30 








30 








50 








30 









294 



APPENDIX 



with silver 



a piece of perspective 



Two cristial branches 

A couch of carnation velvet trimmed 

A black ebony cabinet 

One couch, six folding stools, 16 long cushions of cloth o 

silver and two French chairs .. 
A carpet 

Three French tables ... 
A looking glass of 4.1 panes ... 
Two red cloth screens 
A gilt bale for a bed of state ... 
A cabinet embossed with silver with 

in it 
A looking glass with silver plate 
A down bed and quilt 
A fustian quilt... 
Twenty pieces of very rich hangings, but most Papish, being 

293 ells -I, at j^3 per ell 
A piece of tapestry of the Ascension, 57 ells at ^^5 per ell 
A suit of hangings of the Roman Emperors, 331 ells at i6s 
Two suits of hangings, the Five Senses, 150 ells at ^^5 
Seven pieces of tapestry given to the Queen by Sir Harry 

Vane, 198 ells at j^ 2 los. 

(Sold Capt. Geere, 14 May, 1650.) 
A bedstead with double curtains &c. of black sattin ... 
Six black chairs, with borders of silver 

(Sold Mr. Haughton, 8 Oct., 1651.) 
A window piece of rich tapestry with gold ... 
Eight counterpains of tafFaty ... 
A pair of Spanish blankets 



£ 

80 

50 
25 

60 

2 

o 

4 

5 

12 

40 

50 
10 

2 

880 
285 
264 
780 

495 

100 
6 

16 

16 

3 



Goods Sold and Appraised in Somerset House the 30TH August, 
1649, IN THE Charge of Henry Brown. 

A sparver of green velvet with gold lace 

A suit of crimson damask trimmed with gold lace ... 

A square crimson counterpain, tester, headcloth, &c. 

A crimson cannopy, lined with a sultane 

A suit of hangings of cloth of gold, 150 yards 

Seven pieces of hangings of orange-coloured cloth of gold 

A black velvet bed, lined with yellow sattin 



... 30 





... 53 


15 


... 54 





... 68 





... 388 





... 100 





... 120 






APPENDIX 



295 



A couch and 12 stools of velvet trimmed with silver 

A sleeping chair of red velvet 

A green velvet table, embroidered with gold 

An Indian trunk 

A set of gilt leather hangings, 180 skins 

Fifty-six books of French and Latin, being Papists 

An inlaid bedstead 



£ 


s. 


d. 


H 








I 








2 


10 





10 








15 


12 





5 








I 









A True Inventory of Several Goods brought from Greenwich, and 
NOW IN Custody of Henry Brown, Wardrobe Keeper of Denmark 
House, viewed and appraised the 7th September, 1649. 

Imprimis. Five pieces of hangings of King David, 357 ells 

■| at j^ 3 per ell ... 
Three counterpains of tapestry 

A damask curtain, often breadths, 27 yards at 3s. ... 
A curtain of red and green damask ... 
A Turkey carpet 
Another ditto ... 
An old carpet 

A velvet chair and two little cushions 
An old red velvet chair and stool, with a long cushion 
A chair of tissue, a foot stool 
Three cushions of green velvet 

A cushion of green velvet embroidered with asses ... 
A counterpain wrought with colours... 
A velvet carpet, turned hair-colour ... 
One cushion with the English Arras embroidered thereon 
A long cushion of purple velvet 
A chair and cushion of velvet 
A pair of brass and irons 
Four feather bedds 

A long table standing upon antique tressels ... 
A barge-cloth of velvet embroidered with the English Arms 
A marble table 



1072 


10 


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6 








4 


2 





5 








2 


8 





2 


10 





2 








6 








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10 





3 








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5 








2 


10 





3 








2 








20 








I 








30 








10 









296 



APPENDIX 



A True Inventory of the Several Pictures in the Custody of Mr. 
Henry Brown, Wardrobe Keeper at Denmark House, viewed and 
Appraised the 8th September, 1649. 

Imprimis. Two landskips at 

Six enamelled pieces, three of them being oval 

Two landskips, of Percelles 

A small green landskip 

Mary and the Child ... 

The King of France ... 

A child carrying a Cross 

A round piece of Spanish grapes 

A green landskip 

A piece of Christ on the Cross 

The Virgin Mary and King of France 

Christ and a garland upon Marble 

A drawing on parchment 

A hermit 

Christ praying in the Garden 

Christ, Mary and Joseph on Marble 

A lady praying, with a dove 

A flower pott ... 

Soldier's drinking, &c. 

Mary and the Child, &c. 

A dish of apricocks 

Francis I., king of France, by Genet ' 

Christ, Mary and Joseph 

The Nativity, by Julio Romano 

Joseph, Mary and Christ 

A landskip with a bridge 

A man in armour 2 

A landskip, with Jonas, &c. 

Two sea pieces by Flessiere 

A prospect of a garden 

Four round landskips by Brugel 

Two ditto in square frame 

A drawing with a pen 

Two men playing at Chess, by Michael Corosley 

A man with a black cap 

' No. 598 at Hampton Court. Genet = Francois Clouet, better known as Janet. 
* Attributed to Correggio. No. 83 at Hampton Court. 



I 


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5 








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10 





4 





2 


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35 





2 


10 



APPENDIX 



297 



A piece with many figures by Frankino 
A landskip 

The Holy Family, by V. Gosly 

Buchanan's Head 

(Sold to Mr. Bucart for £t,i los., 2nd Nov., 1649.) 
Mary Queen of Scotts 
A piece of writing of Holbein 
Pluto, by J. Romano ^ 
A piece, by Holbein ... 
A Christ, by Leonard ... ... ... •■• --i 

A naked boy, by ditto 2 

Christ praying in the garden, by Carrache ... 

A Holy Trinity, by Michael Angelo... 

Spanish grapes, by Labradore 

Orphans 

A naked Venus with a satyr ... 

(Sold to Mr. Humphry for £2 6s., 12th Nov., 1 649.) 



£, 


s. 


d. 


10 








6 








40 








2 


10 





5 








10 








20 








30 








30 








40 








40 








30 








5 











5 





I 









A True Inventory of Pictures in Somerset House which came from 
Whitehall and St. James's. 

A St. John, by Corregio 3 

An Aurora Joseph and Mary, by Titian 

A picture, half length, by Titian 

A Lucretia, by Titian 4 

A grandee of Spain 

Diana and her Nymphs, by Sciavona 

Christ and the adultress, by Montagna 

Mary and our Saviour, &c. By A. del Sarto s 

(Sold for ^230.) 
St. John and an Angel 
Mary, Christ and a Soldier, by Titian 
Mary and St. John, &c., by Milanese 

(Sold for ^120.) 

A bald head, by Tintoret 

St. John's head, by R. de Brasio 

' Pluto or Neptune, by Guilio Romano. Now in the Belvedere Gallery at Vienna. 
' Probably the picture of the laughing boy with a toy, which, after passing through several 
hands, was bought by Mr. Winckworth at the Duke of Hamilton's sale in 1882. 

3 Now in the Royal Collection at Windsor. Attributed by Waagen to Parmigianino. 

^ Probably No. 75 at Hampton Court ; but the attribution to Titian is erroneous. 

s Mary, Christ and an Angel, by Andrea del Sarto. No. 385 Prado Museum at Madrid . 



40 








25 








15 








60 








10 








... 20 








10 








200 








5 








60 








100 








15 








20 









L 


s. d. 


30 





20 





150 






150 



298 APPENDIX 

The Duke of Buckingham and his Lady, by Hunthorst 

Ecce Homo ... 

Mary, Christ and Joseph, by A. del Sarto 

(Sold for ^^174.) 
A Venus laying along with one playing on an organ, by 
Titian ^ ... 

(Sold for ^165.) 
A russin, with Rhenish wine-glass in his hands, by Ferrardo... 2 10 

(Sold for /3.) 
A naked woman riding her husband, by Dorsey 

Europa and the Bull, by Julio Romano 

Herod's cruelty, by Bringall 

(Sold nth Dec, 1649, for ^^3 15s.) 
A woman and a naked boy, by Parmentius ^ 

A maremaid, by J, Romano 

A Dutch woman with two bands 
Christ in the Garden 1 
The Nativity ) 

Mary, Christ and St. Mark, by Titian 

Mary and Christ, by Vandyke 3 
Mary, Christ, Joseph and St. John ... 
Diana and Actaeon, by A. Sciavona ... 

The Nativity, by ditto ... 

A Holy Family, by Giorgione 4 

A Queen like a Shepherdess, by Hunthorst ... 

The three jewellers, by Titian 

Noah's flood, by B. Fraes 

Christ scourged 

Mary, Christ and Angels, by Darsey 

Christ crowned with thorns, by Bussan 

Pluto and many devils, by Bruizino ... 

Mary, Christ and St. John 

A shepherdess with a straw hatt 

Three fools playing with a catt, by Titian ... 

' Several copies of this picture are in existence. The original is held to be the one at 
Madrid. 

" Parmentius = Parmigianino. This picture is now numbered 150 in the gallery at 
Hampton Court. It is supposed by Dr. Waagen to be a copy of the Madonna della Rosa 
at Dresden, 

3 " Mary, Christ and many angels dancing, by Vandyke." Sold with the Houghton 
Collection and now in the Hermitage Gallery at St. Petersburg. 

4 Probably the Holy Family iv'ith St. Catherine of ^Alexandria and St. Sebastian. No. 38 in 
the Louvre, where it is still attributed to Giorgione notwithstanding modern criticism. 



15 








20 








3 








10 








8 








4 








120 








150 








40 








35 








10 








10 








100 








5 








100 








30 








50 








40 








10 








20 








2 








I 


10 





10 









APPENDIX 299 



Queen of Scotland 

A courtizan, by Old Palma ... 

Herod and St. John, by R. Breslo 

Six Saints, by Phetty ^ 

The burial of Christ, a copy after Titian, by Cross = 

A prospect, by Sochgert 

St. Francis 

Jupiter in a golden seat, by J. Romano 

Christ taken from the Cross, by ditto 

Moses and the burning bush, by Bassan 

Two pieces of King Philip's children, by A. Moor ... 

A naked Venus, by Palma 

A naked Eunuch, or Managator of Mantua ... 

Mary, Christ and Joseph with a cock, by Persce 

(Sold for j^ioo.) 
Mary, Christ and two beggars, a copy after Caravagio 
Mary and the Child in the clouds, by a Venetian ... 
Ecce Homo, by Bassan 
One of the Evangelists, by Jer. Brassanio 
Christ bearing His Cross 
Mary and a dead Christ 
Sebastian bound to a tree, by Contaryno 
A battle of the Sabians 
Circumcision, by Starvinio 
The Burial of Christ, a copy after Titian 3 
A Venus with Mars and Cupid, by P. Bordon 
A woman washing, by J. Romano 
A soldier in armour ... 
A piece of Whitehall, by Argal 

A soldier making strange postures to a Dutch Lady, by Bott 
A Dutch lady with a ruffe 
Judith and Holofernes, by Guido 
A landskip 

A pyebald horse in fresco, by Polydore 
An old Dutch woman 
A man with a black cap, by Penterynio 
Apiece after the manner of Bussan ... 
Diana and Acteon, after Springar 
A Nymph brought to bed of Adonis, by J. Romano 

' Domenico Feti. No. 506 at Hampton Court. 

* This was doubtless a copy of the great Entombment, No. 446 in tlie Louvre, 

3 Another copy of the same. 



c 


s. 


d. 


2 


10 





15 








25 








36 








3 








2 


10 





I 


10 





10 








25 








10 








10 








15 








6 








80 








+ 








5 


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30 








12 








I 








20 








8 








4 








60 








6 








10 








8 








4 








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10 





6 








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40 








4 








40 








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60 









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S. 


d. 


3 


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12 


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300 APPENDIX 

Mary and Christ, by Raphael 

The same, by Corregio 

A man in black, by Tintoret 

A dead Christ, by Bramantie ^ 

An Angel driving Ignorance, by Palma 

A student sitting by the fire, by Lavens 

Two thieves on the Cross, by P. Vago ^ 

A Saint, by J. Romano 

A green landskip 

A print 



In the Withdrawing Room. 
Pictures Belonging to Somerset House and a few to Whitehall. 

A Madonna as big as the life (sold for ;^3o) ... ... 25 o o 

Mary and our Saviour, by Titian ... ... ... ... 160 o o 

A naked woman asleep, by Josephine ... ... ... 20 o o 

Mary and the Child, by Titian 80 o o 

A man in a hat, by Giorgiones ... ... ... ... 10 o o 

Mary, the Child and St. Sebastian, by Palma 120 o o 

(Sold for ^135.) 

Mary weeping ... ... ... ... ... ... 400 

A Madona and St. Catherine ... ... ... ... 30 o o 

(Sold to Vincentio Malo, 2nd Nov., 1649, for ;^35.) 

A sleeping Venus, by Corregio 4 ... ... ... ...1000 o o 

A Madona, by Raphaels ... ... ... ... ...2000 o o 

Mary, the Child and St. Jerome ... ... ... ... 150 o o 

Mary, the Child and St. Sebastian, by Palma ... ... 100 o o 

A Seigneur in Black, by Tintoret ... ... ... ... 30 o o 

A woman taken in Adultery, by Monsigno ... 25 o o 

Christ bearing the Cross, by Giorgione ^ ... ... ... 36 o o 

(Sold for /45.) 

A piece of Harvest, by Bassan ... ... ... ... 30 o o 

' Possibly the Christ bound to the Column, by Bramante, at Chiaravalle near Milan. 
^ Two separate canvases, by Perino del Vago. NowNos. 378 and 379 at Hampton Court, 

3 No. 60 at Hampton Court. 

4 The Sleeping Antiope, No. 28 at the Louvre. 

5 Sold to Philip IV. of Spain, who named it " La Perla." The picture is still at Madrid, 
being numbered 369 in the Prado gallery. It was considered the gem of Charles's collection, 
but is now only a dismal school piece ! 

* Possibly one of the numerous versions of the original — a genuine Giorgione — in the 
Casa Loschi at Vicenza. 



APPENDIX 



301 



Venus, Bacchus and Ceres, by Almano 

Venus and Adonis, a copy after Titian 

A Dutch parlour 

Another with figures dancing 

Mary and the Child, a copy from Leonardi da Vinci 

The beheading of St. John, by Manfredo 

Cupid looking in a glass, by Titian ... 

Lucretia killing herself, by Corregio ... 

Susanna and the elders, by Gentelisco 

Christ between two Jews, by ditto ... 

Mary and the Child, by And. del Sarto 

(Sold for ^55.) 
A soldier and his wench 

The King, Queen, Prince and Princess, by Vandyke 
The late King's three children, by Vandyke ^ 
David writing, done with a pen by Degen ... 
Spinning, by Phetty 
Mercury teaching Cupid to reads 
A dead bird with a pot of flowers 
A landskip, with a windmill ... 
Ananias and Sapphira, by Franc ken ... 
Mary giving suck, by A. Vorensis 
Mary and the Child, St. Barbary, &c., by Porensan 
A prospect, by Steinwick 

A piece of water colours, by L. Van Eyden ... 
The battle of Brent, by B. Franke ... 
A landskip with Greenwich Castle, by Portman 

Mary and the Child, by Mirevelt 

The Tower of Babylon 

Around piece, Mary and Christ, by Lucas ... 
Christ and His disciples at the Passover 
Venus playing on an organ, after Titian ■* 

(Sold for ^7.) 
Mary with many figures, by Golpitz ... 
Mary, Christ and St. John, by Mitens, after old Palma 
A woman in a yellow gown, by A. del Sarto . . 
Mary and the Child, by Morlessen ... 



£ 


s. 


d. 


25 








25 








2 








2 








15 








12 








25 








40 








30 








30 








40 








30 








150 








60 








5 








10 








10 








I 








I 








5 








15 








15 








25 








30 








6 








4 


10 





5 








2 








I 


10 





6 








6 








100 








8 








25 








5 









' No. 2 in the Vandyke Room at Windsor Castle. 
* No. 29 in the Vandyke Room at Windsor Castle. 

3 Possibly a copy of the splendid canvas in the National Gallery, No, 10, the Education 
hv Cupid, by Correggio. 

4 A copy of No. 459 in the Prado Gallery. 



302 



APPENDIX 



Ditto, by Stella 

(Sold for ^17.) 
The Samaritan Woman, by Phetty ... 
Mary and the Child, &c., by Lionardo da Vinci 
Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, by Francken 
Peter on the sea on marble ... 
Vulcan forging thunderbolts ... 
Christ bearing His Cross, after Rubens 

(Sold for X4.) 
Five landskips 

A pot of flowers, of needlework 
A crucifix 
Ecce Homo ... 

Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, by Francken 
An old woman gapeing 
The Grand Venus di Pardo, by Titian ^ 

(Sold for j^6oo.) 
Mary and Joseph, by Gerofolie 
Mary and Christ, &c., on Marble 

(Sold for ^12.) 

A dead Christ 

A Venus sleeping, by J. Oliver 

The Queen of Bohemia's children in a landskip, by 

burg 

Three kings, by Dos de Fre 

A woman found in adultery, by Bassano 

Mary, Christ and an Angel ... 

Mars and Venus, by Stella 

Mary Magdalen 

A landskip of the Brill 

A pot of flowers 

Mary and Joseph asleep 

Mary and Christ, by Lamere 

A Magdalen 

A naked boy ... 

Mary and Christ, by Stella 

A piece with grapes, by Labradore ... 

Mary and the Child hugging her, by Corregio 

Mary, Christ and St. John, by Peronso 

St. Catherine tortured on a wheel, by Carrache 

' Now known as "Jupiter and Antrope," and numbered 



£. 


S. 


d. 


15 








10 








20 








6 








10 








3 








3 








7 


10 





3 








2 








I 








8 








I 


10 





300 








... 2C 








10 








2 








6 








y Poelem- 






25 








20 








15 








20 








10 








6 








30 








15 








20 








3 








15 








3 








8 








10 








20 








30 








20 








468 in the Louvre. 







APPENDIX 



303 



Mary, Christ and St. Catherine 

The Circumcision, by Dorsey 

The husbandmen asleep, the Devil sowing tares 

Soldiers in pursuit of a young man 

A Madona, after Titian 

Mary, Christ and St. Agnes of Gerefoly 

An angel with a trumpet 

Eight flower pots 

The battle of Lyprick 

A print of a triumphal arch, by Albert Durer 

A woman in wax, by Vandert 

Susanna, by A. Gentelisco 

A maiden spoiled, by Raphael 

Another, a copy after Raphael 

A picture of music books, &c., by Giorgione ' 

Hosea with a trumpet, by A. Gentileschi 

A Dutchess of Savoy ... 

Cupid, by Guido 

Lucretia, by Pardenone 

A man with a sword ... 

Another, by Giorgione^ 



€ 


s. 


d. 


20 








30 








2 








20 








5 








20 








6 








4 








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2 








3 








20 








5 








20 








100 








20 








I 








15 








12 








8 








30 









In the Closet. 



The king's three children 

The Duke of Savoy's child ... 

Mademoiselle and the King's two youngest children 

A naked Venus, by Palma 

A piece of moss work 

A piece of King Henry VIII. 

A head of Aristotle 

The Queen's picture in silk work 

Six pieces enamelled ... 

The Prince's picture ... 

King Edward VI., at length ... 

The Marquis di Guasto, by Titian 3 ... 

* Recovered at the Restoration. Identified with No. 144 at Hampton Court : A 
concert of four singers by Lorenzo Lotto. 

^ Possibly the Giorgionesque picture of David with the head of Goliath, numbered 285 
in the Vienna Gallery. 

3 No. 451 in the Louvre: Marques del Vasto, his wife and two children representing 
Mars, Venus and Cupid. 



10 








8 








10 








10 








I 








10 








10 








20 








I 








10 








5 








250 









304 



APPENDIX 



St. John, at length 

The Lord Lisle, by Vansomer 

A man with a book 

A head, by F. Salviato 

The Duke d'AIva 

A Sebastian 

Titian and Peter Aretin's pictures 

A kitchen 



c 

5° 
5 

20 

15 

6 
6 
6 

3 



In the Gallery. 

The Gods in the Clouds, by Polydore 

The birth of Hercules, by Julio Romano 

Christ raising Lazarus 

A piece of fruit and birds, by Snyders 

A sea piece 

Sea horses, by Julio Romano ... 



40 
100 

3 
10 

4 
60 



Somerset House Pictures. 

A boy in a long cloak 

A French embassador, by Vansomer ... 

Two usurers and Cupid, after Quintin 

A Dutch banquet 

A prospect of the Temple, by Stenwick 

Three fishermen, by M. Angelo 

A picture of Fortune, by J. Romano 

A landskip by a sea shore 

A prospect of Synick ... 

A landskip 

Titian's Mistress, after the life, by Titian * 

A saint, by A, Gentelisco 

The Duke of Burgundy, by Droprombe 

(Sold for ;^43 
The Dutchess of Florence 
An Italian lady 
A sacrifice, by J, Romano 
An angel treading on a serpent 
Moses and the tables, by G. Bologneso 

' No. 452 in the Louvre : *' Alfonso of Ferrara and Laura de 



10 

10 

5 

6 

20 

40 

20 

3 

3 

3 

100 

12 

40 

30 
12 
40 
2 
IS 

Dianti." 



APPENDIX 



305 



Judith with Holofernes' Head 

A Dutch Prince, at length 

A story from Ariosto, by Vandyke ' ... 

Tom Derry, at length, by Vansomer ^ 

The Oueen of France 

Diana washing, by Gentelisco 

King Charles on horseback, by Vandyke- 

Peace and Justice linked together, by Bulloign 

Venus dressing by the Three Graces, by Guido'' 

The Nine Muses, by Gentelisco 

Margarett afraid of a monster, by Titian s 

King Lewis, at length 

A man putting on armour 

Mary Magdalen (sold for ^^55) 

The King and Oueen, by Vandyke ^ 

A Hercules, &c. 

The Prince of Orange, at length 

Christ and the Samaritan Woman 

Christ carrying His Cross 

The Duke of Orleans' daughter 

Christ holding the Cross 

Mary and Child 

The Dutchess of Savoy 

King James with a hawk on his fist 

A great flower-pott, by Brughcll 

A child, or Spanish lady 

A landskip 



£ 


s. 


d. 


10 








■ 5 








. 80 








. 6 








. 10 








. 60 








. 200 








. 60 








. 200 








• 70 








. 100 








I 








• 30 








. 40 








. 60 








• 15 








10 








20 











10 





. 6 











10 





I 











19 





2 








• 30 








2 








I 









In the Cross Gallery. 



Prince Charles in armour, by Vandyke 7 
King James, a copy after Vansomer, by ditto 
Queen Ann 



2500 
30 o o 
30 o o 



' "Rinaldo ami Armitla," by Vandyck. The subject is taken from Tasso — not Ariosto. 
The best version of this work is now in Louvre. 

^ " With his highness," according to the sale register. Derry was a jester at the court of 
Anne of Denmark, and a well-known figure at Somerset House. 

3 Now at Windsor. The King on a grey horse advances through an archway. 

■» Presented to the National Gallery in 1836 by William IV". Now at Edinburgh. 

S No. 469 in the Prado Gallery at Madrid. 

^ Probably the picture of the King and Queen with a wreath of laurel in the collection 
of the Duke of Norfolk. 

' Now at Windsor. 

20 



£ s. d. 



306 APPENDIX 

Prince Henry, by Vandyke ... 

King Charles and Queen Mary, by ditto 

The Queen of Bohemia, by Mittens 

Four Elements 

Mons. Duke d'Aubin's wife ... 

King of France, at length 

The Queen-mother, by Vandyke 

Henry the Fourth, at length, by Ferdinando 

His child 

Mary Queen of Scotland 

Isabella Archduchess of Austria and Brabant 

The new King and Queen of Spain, at length 

King Henry the Eighth, at length ... 

Queen Elizabeth, at length ... 

The King of Denmark, by Vandurt ... 

Solomon's offering to the idols, by Peedmore 

Albertius Duke of Austria 

Two pieces of Fame with a trumpet 

Christ by the well and the Samaritan, by Fatinis 

A Courtezan in her hair, by Titian ... 

A flowerpot 

Mary and Martha 



Goods Valued at Somerset House. 

A pair of iron racks ... 

A rowling stone 

Eighteen marble stones containing 133 foot 

Two plumes of feathers 

A long plume of feathers 

An unicorn horn 



From Mr. Vaux's. 
Ten marble stones ... ... ... ... ... ... 69 17 6 

At Mr. Hunt's. 
Six pieces 01 St. Paul... ... ... ... ... ... 28 16 o 



30 








60 








20 








15 








80 








20 








30 








15 








10 








10 








20 








40 








30 








15 








IS 








150 








15 








30 








50 








15 








5 








6 









I 











10 





40 








12 








16 








00 









APPENDIX 



307 



In the Jewel House, 



A great iron chest 

Another ditto ... 

Three standards 

Plate that came from Mr. Jolly's 

Plate that came from Mr. Sparke's 



£ 


s. 


d. 


20 








4 








2 








25 


9 





16 


10 


6 



Statues at Somerset House. 



A Jewish Queen 

An Emperor ... 

A little man without a head 

Marcus Aurelius 

Caligula 

Commodus 

A woman in her hair ... 

Titus ... 

Faustina 

Marcus Cato ... 

Claudius 

Julia Mema 

A young Trojan 

An Emperor's head 

Young Marcus 

Young Commodus 

The wife of Galba 

Hippocrates 

Demetrius 

A Laocoon 

An Emperor's Head ... 

A young Marcus Aurelius 

A Satyr 

Another 
A small statue 
Cicero's head ... 
A Roman head 
Another ditto ... 

A body 

A boy with a loose head 



80 








10 








I 








50 








50 








50 








80 








50 








70 








70 








60 








80 





c 


80 








50 








50 








150 








80 








30 








25 








I 








40 








50 








20 








3 








3 








25 








25 








30 








3 








5 









308 



APPENDIX 



Statues in Somerset House Garden. 



A pedestal of Portland Stone 

A statue without a head 

Another ditto ... 

Augustus Caesar 

Hercules 

Mercury, in brass 

A crown of gilded lead 



£ 


s. 


d. 


2 


10 





5° 








5° 








zoo 








15 








500 











5 






[iliij 



M 

k 




APPENDIX II 



DENMARK HOUSE IN THE STRAND 

An Account of the Roomes, and Who Inhabits Them, and What 
ARE Quitted, as They were Taken, October 3, 1706. 

A The three roomes on the left hand side of the gateway 

Quitted, (in the Upper Court) faceing the street on the first floor, 
being in the plan, was the late Countess of Fcngall's.' 
A Three roomes over the foresaid, ) belonging to the said 

Quitted. and one roome over the gateway, ) Countess. 

Under the said roomes is two roomes belonging to the 
porter's lodge. The East side of the Upper Court a stair- 
case. 

A Under it a kitchen belonging to the said late Countess 

Quitted. of Fengall. 

B. The Master of the Robes, in the possession of Mr. Rowland. 

Four Roomes ; besides closetts. 

Quitted Over the Master of the Robes, one pair of staires, four 

No. 2. roomes with closetts. Madam Roper's lodgings. 

Quitted. Over Madam Roper's lived Mr. Sandcs having five roomes. 

Quitted. Under the Master of the Robes is the Countess of Fengall's 

celler, and Madam Roper's cellers and Mr. Vice Chamber- 
lain's kitchen. 

Next is a passage going down the back staires. 

' Consort of Luke, the third Earl : Margaret, daughter of Donogh, Earl of Clancorty, 
died January i, 1703, and was interred in Somerset House Chapel. 

309 



310 APPENDIX 

C. Next is Mr. Greenwood's, the Earl of Feversham's gentle- 

man. 

Two roomes. 

C. Over Mr. Greenwood's lives Mr. Laforce, the Earl ot 

Feversham's Secretary.^ 

Over Mr. Laforce lives the Widow Smith. 

One roome. 

Quitted. Under Mr. Greenwood's is Mr. Vice Chamberlain's 

Porter's larder. 

C. The lobby leading to the Earl of Feversham's lodgings. 

Quitted Over the lobby is Mr. Vice Chamberlain's Porter's 

4. Nursery, two roomes, one pair of staires. 

Over Mr. Vice Chamberlain's Porter's Nursery lives Mr. 
Rose, one roome. 

The Queen's Guard Chamber. 

Under the Queen's Guard Chamber lives Mr. Buzway, 
the Earl of Feversham's steward, having four roomes next 
the cloisters of the garden, and one belonging to Mr. Russia 
yeoman of the Wine celler. 

Under Mr. Buzway's and Mr. Russia's is the Queen's cellers. 
The Queen's kitchen. 

Under the Queen's kitchen is cellers belonging to several 
people. 

Over the kitchen is the auditor's office divided into four 
roomes. 
F. The Lobby and old Council Chamber, divided, now in the 

possession of Madam Mellows, the Earl of Feversham's niece 

Quitted. Over the Lobby and Council Chamber, one pair of staires, 

three roomes belonging to the late Sir John Arundell. 

Two pair of staires belonging to the same, inhabited by 
Mr. Travenell. 

Under the old Council Chamber is stone staires leading 
to the stable yard and the Queen's bakehouse. 

Under the Queen's bakehouse is the Queen's wett larder. 

' Lewis, Loril Duras, Earl of Feversham, general of James II. 's army, died April 8, 
1609, and was buried in Savoy Church. 



APPENDIX 311 

Quitted. Under part of the Council Chamber, over against the 

Queen's bakehouse is a celler belonging to the late Sir John 
Arundell. 

Under that a kitchen belonging to the Clerk of the Works. 
A staircase next. 

E. Sir Richard Healing's ' lodgings, on the right hand two 

roomes. 

Under one a pantry to Sir Richard. 

Under the other a room belonging to the Clerk of the 
Works, inhabited by Madam Mellows. 

Then the passages leading over the coach-houses. 

Quitted. One roome more on the right hand belonging to Sir 

Richard Bealing. Over them, one pair of staircs, three 
roomes to ditto. 

Over them, two paire of staires, the old Treasury, two 
roomes. 

Quitted. Under the first floor, belonging to foresaid Sir Richard 

Bealing is a kitchen and cellers. 

Next a staircase. 

D. Next the Countess of Arlington's ^ lodgings, one roome. 

Over the same, one pair of staires, one roome. 

Over the same, two pair of staires, two roomes. 

Under the first floor is a kitchen. 

Under the kitchen a celler, all belonging to the Countess 
of Arlington. 

D. The said Countess of Arlington's first floor, fronting the 

street, on the right hand, coming in att the gateway. 

Three roomes. 

Over that, one pair of staires, two roomes. 

Under the first floor is a larder and pantry and cellers 
belonging to ditto. 

' Sir Richard Bealing, Kt., was principal Secretary to Catherine, Queen Dowager of 
England. 

= Relict of Henry Bennet, first and only Earl of Arlington, Secretary of State, who 
died 1685. 



312 APPENDIX 

Quitted. Over the gateway, two pair of staires, one roome divided 

belonging to Mr. Arundell. 

G, The Clerk of the Works house in the stable yard adjoining 

to the coach houses. 

Two ground roomes. 

Two roomes, one pair of staires, over the same. 

Over ditto two garrettes inhabited by Madam Mclows, 
the Earl of Feversham's niece. 

Adjoining to the Clerk of the Works house over the 
coach-houses. 

(Quitted, Three roomes on a floor, late Madam Tuke's lodgings, and 

the clerk of the Kitchen's, possessed by Sir Richard Bealing, 

Two garretts over the same. 

H. The next lodgings adjoining over the coach-houses, two 

Quitted. roomes and a closett on a floor, possessed by Madam 
Windham. 

Over the said garretts. 

Under the closett a kitchen, part taken out of one of the 
coach-houses. 

Father Christopher's lodgings between the Chappell and the 
Queen's great stair-case. 

Quitted One ground-roome. 

One roome one pair of staires. 

One roome two pair of staires. 

Over the same one roome, three pair of staires, belonging to 
Mr. Hewett, auditor. 

A celler, under the low roome belonging to the gardener. 

The Queen's great staires going down to the garden. 

The Queen's lodgings fronting the garden, from the great 
staires home to the long gallery. 

Quitted Over them is Mr. Vice-Chamberlin Porter's lodgings, 

4. conteining five roomes. 

The long gallery. 



APPENDIX 313 

Over part of the long gallery is one roome and a closett 
belonging to the Lady Johannah Thornhill. 

The Cross gallery. 

Att the end of the cross gallery, next Strand Lane, is a 
roome called the Yellow Roome, 

The new Councill Chamber, the back of the Lower Court, 
under part of the Queen's lodgings fronting the Thames. 

Three roomes inhabited by Mr. Cranmoor, late the lodgings 
of the Earle of Hallyfax. 

Under that Sir Cssar Cranmore's lodgings containing four 
roomes. 

A passage going into the garden under the long gallery. 

Mr. Vice Chamberlin Sayer's lodgings, reaching the whole 
length under the long gallery fronting the flower-garden. 

Under Mr. Sayer's lodgings, next the floor-garden is Mr. 
Killegrew's, containing four roomes. 

Under Mr. Sayer's (next Mr. Killegrew's) is Mr. Sayer's 
landery and servant's roome. 

Under the cross gallery, one roome, late Mr. Maxfield's in 
possession of Mr. Sayer's. 

Under that is Mr. Sayer's kitchen. 

Quitted. Adjoining to Mr, Maxfield's is one roome belonging to 

Madam Crane, under the Cross gallery. 

Next is one roome belonging to Mrs. Cranmore, daughter 
to Sir Cassar Cranmore. 

Quitted. And under them kitchen and cellers belonging to Madam 

Crane. 

Next to Mrs. Cranmore's is three roomes belonging to 
Mr. Thornhill. 

Under that kitchen and cellers belonging to the same. 

Under the yellow roome is a roome possessed by Mr. 
Early, clerk of the kitchen. 

Under the great staircase adjoining, and Mr. Early's 
roome, is the gardener's lodgings and groto, all fronting the 
floor-garden. 



314 APPENDIX 

French roofe, the back of the cross gallery, beginning 
at the East end. 

Ground floor Madam Thornhill's, one roome. 

Quitted. Mrs. Cranmore, one roome. 

Mrs. Crane, one roome. 

Quitted. The roomes one pair of staires and two pair of staires 

(over Mrs. Cranmore, Madam Thornhill and Madam Cranes) 
is the lodgings of the late Lady Welch. 

Quitted. The next apartment under the said French roofe, the 

ground floor, and one story, being four roomes, the lodg- 
ings of Mr. Windebank. 

Over the same, two pair of staires, the lodgings of the 
late Mr. Mead, gentleman usher. 

The back of the long gallery fronting the lower court, 
the Queen's closett, ordary, and pages' waiting-roomc. 

Over them is a dining-roome belonging to the Lady 
Johannah Thornhill. 

And two roomes belonging to Mr. Stephens. 

6 Over Mr. Stephens is three roomes belonging to the 

Lady Johannah Thornhill on the leads. 

Under the Queen's closett, &c., is three roomes belonging 
to Mr. Vice-Chamberlin Sayers. 

Under Mr. Sayer's roomes is Sir Cssar Cranmore's 
kitchin, and two cellers belonging to Mr. Kellegrew. 

Between the pages' waiting-roome and the back-staires 
is the Queen's CofFer-roome. 

The Earl of Feversham's lodgings fronting the lower 
court behind the back-staires. 

Three roomes and a closett. 

Over that is his cooke's two roomes. 

Under them is two roomes belonging to Mr. Devive his 
lordship's upholsterer. 

And one roome belonging to the Queen's housekeeper's 

servant. 



APPENDIX 315 

Quitted. Att the bottom of the round-staires, coming down from the 

lobby into the lower court, under the Earl of Feversham's 
lodgings, is the late Sir John Arundel's kitchen, cellers, and 
larders. 

Under the Queen's housekeeper's servant's roome, and Mr. 
Devivc's, is the Earl of Feversham's kitchen, larder, and 
cellers. 

Fronting the lower court is the Earl of Feversham's great 
roome. 

Quitted. Over the great roome is three roomes belonging to the 

Portugal Lady. 

Under the great roome is two roomes and a clossett belong- 
ing to old Madam Kellegrew. 

Quitted. Under Madam Kellegrew's is a celler belonging to the 

Portugal Lady. 

Adjoining to that is a confectionary belonging to the Earl 
of Feversham. 

The back-stayres with three roomes belonging to the pages. 

No. 9. And the back-stayers gallery is the stone-gallery leading 

from the upper court to Mr. Sayer's lodgings, and the 
lodgings under the French roofe. 

The new buildings, at the back of the upper court, 
fronting the cistern-house. 

A kitchin and a dining-roome belonging to Mr. Laforce the 
Earl of Feversham's secretary. 

Quitted. Over them two roomes belonging to Mr. Roper. 

Under Mr. Laforce one roome belonging to Mr. Rowland, 
Master of the Robes. 

And one roome belonging to the Earl of Feversham's 
butler. 

Under the butler's roome is the Countess of Arlington's 
landery. 

Quitted. Under the other roome is Madam Roper's kitchin. 

Quitted. Mr. Dey's lodgings called the old Fryery, the ground floor 

being in the plan. 

Under it is a kitchen and cellers. 



316 APPENDIX 

Over it one pair of staires two roomes and clossetts. 

Two pair of staires the same with garretts. 

The Queen's Chappell. 

The New Fryery, or Mr. Knight's Deputy Treasurer, 
the South end of the Chappell, the ground floor being 
in the plan, being four roomes on a floor. 

The first and second storeys the same, and garrets divided. 

Vaults under the Chappell, part belonging to the new 
and part to the old Fryery. 

The long shed below the new Fryery against the garden 
wall going down to the water-side, part thereof being store- 
houses for the works, and part belonging to Mr. English, 
the Queen's Woodmonger. 

The Queen's stables containing stands for eight-setts 
of horses, seven to a sett. 

Two hospatable stables for two horses each. 

A roome against each of the hospatable stables for the 
keepers. 

Over the stables, one pair of staires fronting the yard, 
the North end, one roome vacant. 

Three roomes with closetts, inhabited by the Earl of 
Feversham's coachman. 

The South end, next the storeyard, two roomes inhabited 
by the Earl of Feversham's postilion. 

And one large roome by the coachman more. 

The next adjoining by Mrs. Heath, widdow or the 
late Sir John Arundell's gentleman of the horse. 

The front next Dutchy Lane, the North end, one roome 
and a clossett, by the widow of Freeman, late wife to 
the Queen Dowager's coachman. 

Next to her two roomes, vacant. 

Next to them a roome possessed by Madam Melows, 
the Earl of Feversham's niece. 

Next to that one roome by the night porter of the 
court gate. 



APPENDIX 317 

Quitted. Next to that one roome by Sir Richard Bealing's coachman. 

Two pair of staires, the North end. 

One roome by the Earl of Feversham's coachman. 

Next three roomes by the porter of the water-gate. 

Next to that one roome by the Clerk of the Works 
servant. 

The South end, two pair ot staires, over the stables two 
roomes by Clements, the Earl of Feversham's footman. 

Next to him is Cavelec, a Frenchman, that keeps a 
chandler's shopp in the stable-yard, one roome and clossetts. 

The store-yard belonging to the Workes. 



Index 



Abbot, Archbishop of Canterbuiy — At- 
tendance at Anne of Denmark's 
Deathbed, 67 
Abercorn, Marquis of, 229 
Academy, see Ro3'al Academy 
Accountant General's Department located 

in New Wing, 263 
Addison — Extract from Freeholder — De- 
scription of Masquerade at Somerset 
House, 173 
Adjacent Property to Somerset House, 
see titles. Tenements, and Gar- 
dens 
Admiralty, Departments accommodated 
at Somerset House, 215, 216 
Exhibition of Models open to the 

Public, &c., 241 
Official Residences, 215 
Removal of Departments to Spring 
Gardens — Appropriation of Vacant 
Space in West Wing, 259 
Agas's, Ralph, Map, 10, 36, 45, note 
Albemarle, Duke of — Funeral from Somer- 
set House, 155 
Ambassadors, Foreign — Housing and 
Entertaining at Somerset House, 59, 
60, 167 
Amelia, Princess, 181, vote 
Angouleme, Bishop of, 115 
Anne of Denmark 

Brother of — Visits to England, &c., see 

Denmark, King Christian of 
Court at Somerset House, see title 
Royal Residence, Somerset House as 
— James I. 
Death of Henry Prince of Wales — 
Effect of on the gaiety of the 
Queen's Court, 75 
Illness and Death, 78 
Funeral Procession and Ceremonial 
— Interment in Henry VII. Chapel, 
79 



Anne of Denmark (continued) 

Jewels and Money supposed to have 
been stolen after the Queen's Death, 
Discovery of in a Secret Coffer, 80 

"Oriana" and "Bel Anna," Ben 
Jonson's Names for Anne, 65 

Religion — Leanings towards Rome, 66, 

117 
Anne, Princess — Daughter of George II., 

178 
Angelo, Michael, 204, 224, 229 
Ansted, D. T., 281 
Anstice, J., 273 

Antiquaries, Society of, Origin of — 
Apartments in Somerset House, &c., 
215, 217, 239 
Proceedings while in Residence at 
Somerset House — Indifference as to 
historj' of the Foundation of Somer- 
set House, 239 
Appropriation of the Buildings at 
various Periods, sec title Purposes to 
which the Building was put, also 
titles Royal Residence, Revenue 
Departments, &c. 
Architecture and Architectural Designs 
of Somerset House as built by 
Somerset 
Appreciation of, by the Writer of A 

Critical View of Public Buildings, 49 
Architect employed, Conjectures as to 

— Failure to fix identity, 45-49 
Designs by Inigo Jones for Structural 
Alterations on the Restoration of 
the Monarchy and the return of 
Henrietta Maria, 143, 171 
Influence of, on Architecture of suc- 
ceeding Generation, 144 
(Refer also to title Improvements and 
Repairs) 
Pictorial Descriptions, 10 
Style of Architecture — Comparison 
between Designs of River and Strand 
Frontages, 50-52 



318 



INDEX 



319 



Architecture and Architectural Designs of 
New Building on Site of Old Somerset 
House (tontwued) 
Chambers, Sir W., New Building de- 
signed by, 191 
Chambers',' Sir W., Report to the 

House of Commons, 194 
Criticism of, 193, 201, 205, 213 

Defence of Chambers' 'Work — 
View of Somerset House from 
the River, &c., 210, 211 
Opinions of Architects — Fergusson, 
Gwilt, and Blomfield, 205, 207, 
208, 209 
Strand and River Frontage, see 
titles Strand Frontage and River 
Frontage 
Curtailment of Original Plan during 

Execution, 216, 270 
Details, Execution of — Artistic 

Feehng, &c., 201, 212, 213 
Difficulties of Chambers' Taslj, 209 
Drawings preserved in Soane 

Museum, 192 
Example of Classic Architecture, 

190 
Jones's, Inigo, Design carried out 
for improvement of old Building 
for Henrietta Maria, Influence of, 
144 
King's College, Design of. Com- 
pletion of River Frontage, &c., 
268, 271 
Rejected Designs, Description of, 

193 
Strand and River Frontage, Descrip- 
tion of, 197, 200 
Departmental Builder, Mr. Robinson, 

— Designs rejected, 191 and note 
Western Wing, Erection of by Mr. 
Pennethorne, 245, 248 
Archway of Watergate — Sculptured 
Keystone emblematic of the Thames, 
200 
Arlington, Lady — Residence in Somerset 

House, 169 
Art 

King George III.'s Patronage — 
Development of Art and Science, 
&c., 203, 214, 220 
Practical Art or Government School of 
Design — Apartments in Somerset 
House, 234 
Science and Art — Comparisons between 
the Social Importance of the Royal 
Academy and the Royal Societj-, 

235 

Artistic Life of England of the 17th 
Centurj' influenced by Queen 
Anne's Court, 66 

Artistic Treasures belonging to Charles 
I. — Accumulation and Dispersal of 
most Notable Collection possessed 
by single Individual — Sale of Trea- 
sure, &c., II, 126, and note, 127, 128, 
130 — Appendix, 283 



Arundel, Countess — Chief Mourner at the 
Funeral of Anne of Denmark, 79 

Arundel House, Formerly Baths Inn or 
Seymour Place, 33 

Arundel of Wardour, Lord, 147, 156 

Ashley, Hector — Designer of Somerset 
House Theory, 49 

Aston Hall, near" Birmingham — Design 
attributed to John Thorpe, 46 

Astronomical Society, Origin of — Apart- 
ments at Somerset House, &c., 239 

Atmosphere of London, Effect of, on the 
colouring of the building, 212 

Aubrey, John, 97 

Audit Offices at Somerset House, 2x5 

Augusta, Daughter of George II., 182 

Augusta, Princess of Wales, 179 



Babbage's Famous Calculating Machine, 
238, 279 

Babington, Bishop, 44 

Bacon, John, 203, 204, 237 

Balfour, Sir W., 120 

Banks, Sir Joseph, 236 

Baptisms at old Somerset House Chapel, 
Register of, 177 and note, 178 

Baretti, Joseph, 215 

Barge House — King's Barge House with 
Dwelling for Barge Master, 200, 216 

Barker's, Sir R., Chronicle, 45 and note 

Barracks — Soldiers quartered in old 
Somerset House, 127, 128, 130, 137, 
182 

Barry, Charles, 247 

Basement Rooms — Operations of Stamp- 
ing Department carried on in, 
240 

Bassompierre, Marshal — French Ambas- 
sador — Disputes between King 
Charles and his Queen — Mediation, 
104 

Beauchamp of Hache, Viscount — Title 
bestowed on Edward Seymour, after- 
wards Duke of Somerset, 15 

Beauclerk, Rev. H., 177, 178 

Becket, Thomas— Rector of Old St. Mary- 
le-Strand Cliurch, 37 

Bedloe — Confederate of Oates's, 160, 161 

Beechey, 219 

Bellasis, Lord, 162 

Bennet, Sir H., 153 

Bery, Henry, 163 

Births,Marriages, and Deaths — Registrar- 
General's Department at Somerset 
House, Working of, &c., 260 

Blackstone, Sir W., 253 

Blomfield, Bishop of London, 273 

Blomfield, Mr. R. — Opinion on Archi- 
tectural Merit of Somerset House, 
208 

Blount, Father Richard, 117 

Bodleian Library — Wyngaerde's Draw- 
ings, 35 and note 



320 



INDEX 



Bohemia, Elizabeth Queen of — Funeral 
from Somerset House, 142 

Boleyn, Anne — Condemned and be- 
headed, 15 

Bond, Sir Thomas, 148 

Boswell, James, 227 

Boulogne — Capture of, by the Earl of 
Hertford, 16, 17 

Bowling-Green in old Somerset Garden 
for the Diversion of Citizens, 172 

Boyle, R., 236, 237 

British and National Schools, Establish- 
ment of, 265 

Bronze Group on Northern Side of Quad- 
rangle, Description of, Cost, &c,, 204 

Brouncker, Lord, 237 

Bruce, Dr. Lewis, 176, 1S2 

Brunswick Lunelaerg, Hereditary Prince 
of — Lodged in old Somerset House, 
182 

Buckingham, Duke of 

Evil Influence of over Charles I. and 

Henrietta Maria, 98 
Expulsion of French Household from 
Queen Henrietta Maria's Court — 
King's Message, 102 
Keeper of Somerset Palace — Tennis 
Match played with Prince Charles 
for a wager, 82 

Buckingham House — Settlement of on 
Queen Charlotte, Surrender of Somer- 
set House, 183, 190 

Budgell — Extract from Spectator of 171 1 
— Suicide, &c., 172 

Building Materials for Somerset House 
Difficulty of obtaining suitable Material 
— Destruction of Ecclesiastical Build- 
ings, &c., to provide Stone, 39 
Charges of Vandalism against Somerset, 

27. 39-43 

Attitude of the People and Contem- 
porary Writers — Indifference, &c., 

41 

Legal Justification for the destruction 
of Buildings — Recompense granted 
by Somerset, &c., 42-44 
Building of old Somerset House 

Date of the Commencement of the 
Work, 32 

Date of Completion 

Death of Somerset previous to Com- 
pletion, 50 
Uncertainty as to, 54 

{Refer also to titles Architecture, Build- 
ing Materials, Site, &c.) 
Building on Site of old Somerset House 
to accommodate Government Depart- 
ments, &c., 184, 190 

Curtailment of original Plan during 
execution, 216, 270 

Date of Completion, 197, 215 

Difficulties which the Architect was 
called upon to surmount — Multi- 
farious needs of so many different 
Establishments, &c., 193, 194, 209 

New Wing, see that title 



Building on site of old Somerset House 
(continued) 
Northern Block designed to accom- 
modate Royal Academy, &c., Com- 
pletion of, 194 
Progress in the Work of Construction 
Sir W. Chambers' Report to the 
House of Commons, 194 
{Refer also to titles Architecture, Cost, 
also names of Departments and 
Societies accommodated at Somerset 
House) 
Burials in Somerset House Chapel, 

Register of, 177 and vote 
Burke, Edmund, 191, 229, 230 
Will in Somerset House, 260 
Burlington House, Removal to, of 
Decorations adorning Royal Aca- 
demy Apartments at Somerset House, 
222, 234 
Burnett, G. T., 273 
Burton, Decimus, 247 
Business transacted in the New Building 
Government Departments, see that title, 
also titles Inland Revenue Board 
Stamp Department, &c. 
Sculptured Group symbolical of, 204 
Bute, Lord, 179, r8i note 



Caius College — Design attributed to John 

of Padua, 47 
Calculating Machine invented by Babbage, 

238, 279 
Camden, W. — Funeral of Anne of Den- 
mark described by, 79 
Campion, T., 67 

Masque written bj", performed at 

Somerset Palace, 66 
Cardel-Dancer at Queen Anne's Court at 

Somerset House, 72 
Carey, Henry, see Hunsdon, Lord 
Carleton, Lord — Special Mission to 

French Court — Audience denied by 

Louis XIII., 103 
Carlini,Agostino — Sculptured Decorations 

of old Somerset House, 203,204, 221, 

222, 231 
Carlisle, Earl of, 229 

Carlton House Terrace, Architect of, 246 
Caroline of Anspach, Princess of \Vales 

— Old Somerset House settled on, 172 
Carteret, Lord, 178 
Castlemaine, Madame, 149 
Catherine of Braganza — Wife of Charles 

II. 
Departure from England ordered by 
William, Prince of Orange — 
Queen's Reply, &c., 166 

Final Departure for Portugal, 167 
Description of — Comparison with 

Henrietta Maria, &c., 149, 150 
James II., Accession of — Landing of the 

Prince of Orange — Catherine's Dis- 
cretion, &c., 165 



INDEX 



321 



Catherine of Braganza {coutimied) 
Popish Plot Invention, i6o 
Trial of Queen's Physician, Sir G, 
Wakeman, i6o, i6i 
Popish Servants of the Dowager Queen, 
Limiting — Bill rejected by the Lords, 
i66 
Renewal of Charles's Attachment fol- 
lowing the Popish Plot, 164 
Roman Catholicism — Services at the 
Chapel at Somerset House, Activity 
of the Congregation towards Catholic 
Revival, &c., 158 
Royal Residence, Somerset House as 
— see Royal Residence — Charles IL 
and Catherine 
Catholic Revival — Influence of Henrietta 
Maria and Catherine of Braganza, 
refer to their names, also to title 
Chapel 
Catton, Charles, 221 
Cecil of Essingdon, Lord — Keepership of 

Somerset House, 68 
Cemetery attached to old Somerset House 
Chapel for Burial of Members of 
Queen Henrietta Maria's Catholic 
Household, 117 
Ceracchi, Giuseppe — Sculptured Deco- 
rations of Somerset House, 203, 
204 
Chambers, Sir W. — Designer of Somerset 
House, 184, 190 
Architecture and Architectural Designs, 

see that title 
Biographical Sketch, 191 
Royal Academy, Associated with the 
Work of, 214 note 
Chancery, Inns of, see titles Chester Inn, 

Worcester Inn, &c. 
Chandler, Mrs., 180 

Changes taking place among the Occupiers 
of Somerset House 
Inland Revenue Departments — Dis- 
turbances caused by the growth of 
the Departments, 262, 263 
Removal of Royal Academy, Admiralty 
Departments, &c., refer to those 
titles 
Chapel at old Somerset House for Roman 
Catholic Worship proposed 
Infanta of Spain, Proposed Marriage 
with Prince Charles — Chapel ordered 
to be built, 83, 87 
Petition from French Household of 
Henrietta Maria's Court to the 
King — Charles's indignant reply, 

99 
Chapel at old Somerset House for Roman 

Catholic Worship built by Henrietta 

Maria 
Altar Screen, Alleged Preservation, 

240 
Burials beaeath the Chapel 

Godden, Dr., 165 

Last Interment, 178 

Tuke, Sir S., 157 



Chapel at old Somerset House {continued) 

Catherine, Wife of Charles II. — Roman 

Catholic Order maintained under 

— Association of Matthew Locke 

with the Musical Service, &c., 157 

Activity of the Roman Catholics at 

this period — Pamphlet printed in 

1672 as Evidence, 158 

Popish Plot, Agitation following 

discovery of, directed against the 

Congregation of the Cliapel, 158 

— Trial of Sir G. Wakeman, 160 

Cemetery attached to for Burial of 
Members of Queen's Catholic House- 
hold, 117 

Civil War, Outbreak of — Arrest of 
Capuchins, Destruction of the Vest- 
ments, &c., by Order of House of 
Commons Committees, &c., 123 

Closed Finally, Date, 178 

Commonwealth, Use of Chapel during 
— Meeting-place for Dissenting Sects, 
&c., 129, 139 

Converts to Roman Catholicism — Lady 
Newport and other instances, 120 

Cost — Records of Payments made, &c., 
109, no, 112, also note 

Daily Services conducted in the Chapel 
after Inaugural Ceremony, n6, 117 

Description of the Building, 109-111 

Design attributed to Inigo Jones, in, 
112 

Finally divested of its Roman Character 
and given over to Established Church 
— Appointment of Ministers, &c., 176 

French Protestants, Chapel granted for 
use of, 125 
Expulsion of the French Protestants 
on the return of Henrietta Maria, 140 

Growing influence of the Catholics 
arising out of — Attitude of the House 
of Commons, 118, 122 

Inaugural Ceremony — First Mass cele- 
brated, 114 

Inscription, 108, 109 

Laud's, Archbishop, Protest and Pro- 
clamation, n8 

Marriages, Baptisms, and Burials, 
Records of, 177 and note 

Plague Outbreak — Henrietta Maria's 
Orders with reference to closing the 
Chapel, 152 

Proselj'tising Ladies of the Court by 
Gregorio Panzani, 118 

Relics sent from Rome for Distribution 
by the Friars of Somerset House, 122 

Restoration of the Monarchy — Return 
of Henrietta Maria to England, and 
the reversion of the Chapel to its 
original uses, 139, 140, 141 

Sale of Contents of the Chapel — 
Appendix, 285 

Scheme set on foot for building — King's 
consent, &c., 107 

Site of the Chapel — Stone laid by the 
Queen, &c., io8, 109 



21 



322 



INDEX 



Chapel at old Somerset House {continued) 
Spectacular Representation of the Holy 
Sacrament designed for Inaugural 
Ceremony, 112-115 

King Charles's visit to view, 1 16 
Number of Persons visiting — Both 
Protestant and Catholic 115,116 
Tombstones built into Walls of Passage 
leading under Quadrangle — Relics of 
old Somerset House, 239 
Chapman, Dr., 177 

Chapman, George — Attendance at Anne 
of Denmark's Court at Somerset 
House, 68 
Chapman, Mr., Publisher — Key of Ter- 
race of Somerset House — Herbert 
Spencer and George Eliot Anecdote, 

243 
Charles, Prince 
Marriage 
Henrietta Maria, proposed Marriage 
with, 84 
Marriage by Proxy, 80 
Infanta of Spain — Failure of Project, 
&c., 83 
Somerset House as Royal Residence, 
see title Royal Residence, Old Somer- 
set House as 
Charles I. 

Artistic Treasures — Accumulation and 
Dispersal of the most notable Collec- 
tion possessed by single Individual, 1 1 
Sale of Charles's Belongings — Ap- 
pendix 126 and note, 127, 128, 130, 
282 
Execution of — Factors which con- 
tributed to bring Charles to the 
Block, 124 
Charles I. and Queen Henrietta Maria 
Disputes and Differences between 
Buckingham's evil influence, 98, 104 
French Ambassador's intervention. 

Result of, &c., 104, 105 
French Household — Expulsion of, 
Breach of Marriage Treaty, 98, 102 
Somerset Palace as Royal Residence, 

see title Royal Residence 
(Refer also to Henrietta Maria) 
Charles II. 
Death of, 164 

Popish Plot Invention, see Popish Plot 
Richmond, Duchess of — Charles's In- 
fatuation for, 153, 154 
Roman Catholicism — Catherine's Con- 
solation that Charles died a Catholic, 
164 
Charlotte, Queen 

Criticism of Sculpture by John Bacon, 

205 
Settlement of Buckingham House on — 

Surrender of Somerset House, 183 
Somerset House as Royal Residence, 181 
Charnal House of St. Paul — Destruction 
of to provide Materials for old 
Somerset House, alleged, 9, 39, 40, 
41, and notes 



Chester Inn — Part of Site of old Somerset 
House, 34, 35 
Acquisition of House, &c. — Recom- 
pense made by Somerset, 44 
Town Residence of the Duke of Somer- 
set, 50 
Where situated, 36, 37 
Chester Place — Residence bestowed on 
Earl of Hertford, afterwards Duke 
of Somerset, 15, 31, and note 
New Mansion on the Site of old 
Chester Place — Possible Explanation 
of the difference in style of Architec- 
ture of Frontages of old Somerset 
House, 51 
Chevreuse, Duke and Duchess, 105 
" Chloridia " — Pastoral written by Ben 
Jonson for Queen Henrietta Maria, 

91 
Chudleigh, Elizabeth — Appearance in 

Masquerade at Somerset House, 179 
Churchill, C. — Somerset House as " a 

mere lodging pen," 169 and note 
Cipriani, Giovanni Battista — Sculptured 

Decorations of Somerset House de- 
signed bj% 202, 203 and note, 204, 

221, 222, 225, 234, 236 
City and Guilds of London Technical 

Institute, Work of, in connection 

with King's College, 276 
City of London — Reception of Royal 

Personages, Ceremonies at Temple 

Bar, &c. 
Denmark, King Christian — Visit to 

England, Progress through the City, 

70 
Elizabeth's, Queen, Thanksgiving at St. 

Paul's for the defeat of the Spanish 

Armada, 62 
Plot to destroy the City and seize the 

Tower, alleged against the Duke of 

Somerset, 25 
{See also Lord Mayor) 
Civil War 
Chapel at Somerset House, Destruction 

of, &c., see title Chapel 
Circumstances leading up to, 122 
Henrietta Maria — Sojourn in Holland 

and France, Efforts to enlist support 

for the King, &c., 124 
Imposition of Excise Duty, 251 
Clerk of the Works employed during 

the building of old Somerset House, 

45 

Cleves, Anne of — Marriage with Henry, 
Attitude of Cromwell, 15 

Cockerell, C. R., 247 

Coke, Sir E., 251 

Colet — Champion of the New Learning, 
Attitude of Henry VIII., 13 

Colouring of the Building — Light and 
Shade produced by London Atmo- 
sphere, 212 

Commonwealth, Uses to which old 
Somerset House was put during the 
Commonwealth, 127, 128, 130, 137 



INDEX 



323 



Conway, Lord — Expulsion of French 
Household from Somerset House, 
100, 103 
Conway, Miss — Killed by draught of 
Lemonade at Somerset House Mas- 
querade, 181 
Conway, Mr., 180 
Conyers, Lady, 178 
Cook, T., 181 note 
Copley, J. S., 224 
Cornwall and Lancaster Duchies — Offices 

at Somerset House, 215, 216, 245 
Cory, Father, ri8 

Cost of Building Original Somerset 
House — Charges of Extravagance 
against Somerset, 33, 53 
Cost of Building on Site of old Somerset 
House 
Estimate of Cost, iq6, 197 
Proceeds of the Sale of Ely House, 

Application of Proceeds, 190 
West Wing erected by Mr. Penne- 
thorne, 249 
Cosway, R., 219 

Cottonian Library MS. referred to, 44 note 
Councils held at Somerset House — 
Queen Elizabeth's Torchlight Pro- 
cession, 58 
County Fire Office, Piccadilly Circus — 
Features of old Somerset House 
Architecture imitated, 144 
Courts — Various Courts held at Somerset 
House, refer to title Royal Residence, 
Somerset House as 
Courtyard of new Somerset House, De- 
scription of, 198 
Coventry, Countess of, 177 
Coverdale, Miles, 24 

Cowley, Abraham — Member of Henrietta 
Maria's Household at Somerset 
House, 148 
Verses written by, on the subject of 
Improvements at Somerset House 
made by Henrietta Maria, 145 
Crabbe — "Solitude of Somerset House," 

242 
Crane Court at Charing Cross — Royal 

Society's Quarters, 235 
Cranfield, Sir Lionel, 79 
Crofts, Mr., 149 
Croker, J. Wilson, 271 
Cromwell, Oliver 

Body dragged from the Abbey and 

hanged at Tyburn, 137 
Death of at Whitehall, 131 
Dignities of a King assumed by, 130 
Discontent of the People under his 

Rule, 127 
Funeral Procession to Westminster 
Abbey, Scenes in the Streets.&c, 133 
Cost of Funeral {;g28,ooo), 136 note 
Indignation of the People at so much 

Display, 136 
Joyfullest Funeral on Record — None 
cried but Dogs, 136, 137 
Lying in State at Somerset House, 130 



Cromwell, Richard, 137 
Cromwell, Thomas, 261 
Anne of Cleves, Marriage with Henry 

— Attitude of Cromwell, 15 
Influence of — Henry VIII.'s Attitude 
towards Champions of the New 
Learning, &c , 13 
Cumberland, Duke of, 180, 181 note, 182 
Cunningham, Peter, 241 
Curalin, 1806 — Account of Somerset 
House, 9 



D'Aumont, Duke — Residence at Somerset 
House, 169 

D'Espagne, John, 125, 126, 140 

D'Ewes, Sir Simonds, 87 

D'Orleans, Duchesse Henrietta 

Marriage — Departure of Henrietta 

Maria for France, 142 
Residence at Somerset House, 141 

D'Oyly, Rev. G. — Associated with the 
Foundation of King's College, 266 

Dalton, J., 238 

" Dance of Death " — Destruction of 
Cloister of St. Paul's Church, called 
Pardon Cluirch\'ard, to provide 
Materials for building old Somerset 
House, 40, 42 

Daniel, Samuel — Masques written by, 
performed at Somerset House, 66, 
76,81 

Daniell, J. F., 273 

Date of Completion and Commencement 
of Old and New Somerset House 
(Refer to Building) 

Davy, 238 

De la Warr, Lord, 180 

De Vautelet — Member of Henrietta 
Maria's Household, 147 

Death Duties, History of, 258 

Debat, Rev., 176 

Decay and Ruin of Building, Furniture 
and Decorations of the interior of 
the old House as seen at the Survey 
made by Sir W. Chambers prior to 
its disappearance, 184-189 

Decorations of Somerset House as built 
by Chambers — Description of Sculp- 
tured Decorations, &c., 202, 203, 
204 

Dakker, Thomas, 67 

Demolition of Buildings in the Strand, 
&c., to make Site for old Somerset 
House, 33 
List of Buildings which occupied the 
Site, 35 

Demolition of old Somerset House 

Abandonment of Proposal after Execu- 
tion of Charles, 125 
Final Decision to abolish, 183 

Demolition of Ecclesiastical Buildings, 
&c., to provide Materials for old 
Somerset House, see title Building 
Materials 



324 



INDEX 



Den of Mischief Makers, Somerset House 
regarded as — Searcli for suspicious 
Persons during the exile of King 
James II., i68 
Denmarlv House— Name of Somerset 
House changed to, during visit of King 
Christian of Denmark, out of com- 
pliment to the King, 69, 70, 137, 138 
Denmark, King Christian of 

Envoy sent to England — Lodged and 

entertained at Somerset House, 69 
Visits to England — Entertained at 
Somerset House, &c., 69 
City, Visit to— Ceremony at Temple 

Bar, &c., 70, 71 
Fireworks of the King's own devis- 
ing — English Court entertained in 
the Gardens of Somerset House, 73 
Indelicate behaviour to the Ladies of 

the Court, alleged, 71 
Unexpected Visit of 1614 — Object of 
the Visit, &c., 72 
Descriptions of Somerset House, Old and 
New 
Architecture, see that title 
Chambers', Sir W., Report to the 

House of Commons, 194 
Completion of the Original Building, 51 
Description prior to the old House 

disappearing, 184 
Eighteenth Century, Building as it 

then existed, 170 
Interior as it appeared when Sir W. 
Chambers surveyed it, 185-188 
Designs of Old and New Somerset House, 
see title Architecture and Architec- 
tural Designs 
Devonshire, Duke of — Drawing in pos- 
session of, for Chimney-piece of 
Gallery of Somerset House, 143 
Devonshire Rebellion — Demand for the 

Restoration of the Mass, &c., 22 
Dial as Meridian Mark over Doorway of 
Stamp Office — Memorial of miracu- 
lous escape of Labourer Stor}-, 242 
Dice-throwing— Winningsof King Charles 
and Queen Henrietta Maria on a 
Dicing-night at Somerset House, 94 
Dieussart, Fran9ois — Sculptor engaged in 
connection with Queen Henrietta 
Maria's Chapel, 112 
Digby, Sir Kenelm, 147 
Dilapidation, decay, and ruin of what 
was once the gaj-est Court in English 
History, 181, "184-188 
Disappearance of old Somerset House, 
description of, prior to its disappear- 
ance, 184 
Discoveries made by Royal Society during 
its residence at Somerset House, 238 
Disposal of old Somerset House, see Sale 
Doctors' Commons — Transfer of Wills 

to Somerset House, &c., 259 
Domenichino, 224 

Donne, John — Attendance at Anne of Den- 
mark's Court at Somerset House, 67 



Doorway next Duchy House, Wellington 

Street — Disused Door^vay, 263 
Dorchester, Lord, 107 
Dorset, Countess of, 74 
Dorset, Earl of, 119 

Property adjoining to Somerset House 
granted to, 170 
New Buildings erected on, 178 
Drayton, Michael — Attendance at Anne 
of Denmark's Court at Somerset 
House, 67 
Dress at Anne of Denmark's Court — 
Extravagance in details resulting 
from the Queen's passion for the 
Masque, &c., 74 
Drummond, Jane — Marriage with Lord 
Roxborough — Festivities at Somerset 
House, 76 
Duchy House, Wellington Street, 263 
Duchy Lane, 39 

Stables and Coach-houses of Somerset 
House, 148, 170 
Duffield, Mr. F. H., 12 
Dulwich Gallerj- — Picture showing River 
Front of old Somerset House pre- 
vious to alterations, 143 
Duras, Lewis de, sec Feversliam, Earl of 
Dwarfs — Henrietta Maria's affection for 
—Story of " Little Geffrey," &c., 96 
Dyce, W., 281 



East Wing 

Branches of Inland Revenue located in 

263 
Plot of ground leased to John Gerrard, 
69 
Ecclesiastical Buildings, Destruction of, 
to provide Materials for building old 
Somerset House, refer to Building 
Materials 
Education Movement at the close of the 
French War, 18 15, 265 
King's College, see that title 
Eighteenth Century, old Somerset House 

in, i68 
Eliot, George, and Herbert Spencer — 
Somerset House Terrace Anecdote, 

243 
Eliot, Lord, 229 
Elizabeth, Queen 

Perennial youth — Trickery practised 
on Elizabeth by Cornelius Lannoy, 
60, 61 
Royal Residence at old Somerset 

House, see Roj-al Residence 
Spanish Armada, Defeat of — Thanks- 
giving Service at St. Paul's, Eliza- 
beth's State Progress, 62 
Suitors from abroad. Apartments in 
old Somerset House assigned to, 

59 
Ely House, Holbourn — Sale of, Applica- 
tion of Proceeds for rebuilding 
Somerset House, 190 



INDEX 



325 



Englefield, Sir H., 227 

Entertainments and Festivities at Somer- 
set House during Anne of Denmark's 
residence — The Palace as a Rendez- 
vous for the Nobilities and Sociabili- 
ties of the time, 65, 66, 73 
Revival of Gaieties and Festivities after 
the Marriage of Henrietta Maria 
with Charles I., QO 
{See also titles Masques, and Mas- 
querades) 

Erasmus — Champion of the New Learn- 
ing, Attitude of Henrj- VIII., 13 

Erection of the two Buildings, old and 
new Somerset House, see title Build- 
ing 

Essex, Earl of — Quarrel with Hegden 
during Festivities at Anne of Den- 
mark's Court at Somerset House, 

77 

Estate Duties, History of — Revenue 
derived from Duties, &c., 258 

Estate Duty Department, Location of — 
Occupation of whole of West Wing, 
263 

Estreats, Office of Clerk of, at Somerset 
House, 215, 216 

Evelyn, Miss, 180 

Evelyn's Diary, Quotations from and 
References to, 136, 137, 142, 156, 
161, 162 

Exchequer 

Offices at Somerset House, 215 
Replenishing — Somerset House con- 
verted into a National Beehive for 
purposes of, 245-264 

Exchequer and Audit Department, Re- 
moval of, to New Premises on 
Victoria Embankment, 263 

Excise Duties 

History of — Unpopularity of Tax, &c., 

250-255 
Scotland and Ireland — Consolidation 
of Boards with English Board, 254 

Excise Office, Sale of Old Office in Broad 
Street — Application of Proceeds, 249 

Excise Officers, Charges of Plunder 
against, in 1732, 252 

Expenditure on old and new Somerset 
House, see titles Cost and Improve- 
ments and Repairs 



Fairfax, Lord General — Lodgings in 

Somerset House, 127 
Faraday, 238 
Feminine Preachers, Sermons preached 

by in Chapel at Somerset House, 

129 
Unpopularity — Congregation dispersed 

by soldiers, &c., 130 
Fenn, Sir John, 27 
Fergusson, Mr. James — Criticism of 

Somerset House Architectural Work 

205, 210, 211 



Feversham, Earl of, 165, 166 
Adherent of King James II. — King 
William's suspicions of Feversham, 
&c., 166, 167 
Ordered to retire to Holland, 168 
Care of Somerset House left in the 
hands of, on the departure of Queen 
Catherine, 168 
Residence in Somerset House, 169 
Flamingo, 224 
Fingall, Countess — Residence in Somerset 

House, 169 
Finsbury Fields — Human remains from 
Pardon Churchyard, &c., thrown on 
during demolition of buildings to 
provide Materials for building old 
Somerset House, 44, 45 and note 
Fish Stalls erected in the Strand in 1630, 

Removal of, 94 
Flamsteed, 236, 237 
Folkes, Martin, 237 
Fontenay Mareuil, Marquis — French 

Ambassador, 108 
Foundation Stone of New Building, Date 

of laying, 191 
Fox, George, 126 
France 
Boulogne, see that title 
Expulsion of French Household from 
Henrietta Maria's Court, Attitude of 
Louis XIII.— War against France 
declared, &c., 103 
Henrietta Maria, Proposed Marriage 
with King Charles I., 84 
France and Scotland, Alliance between — 
Marriage of Mary Stuart with the 
Dauphin, Effect of, on the Tudor 
Policy of Union with Scotland, 21 
French Ambassador, Marshal Bassom- 
pierre — Dispute between KingCharles 
and Queen Henrietta Maria, Media- 
tion, 104 
French Household of Queen Henrietta 
Maria, see Royal Residence, Somerset 
House as — Charles I. and Henrietta 
Maria 
French Protestants — Somerset House 

Chapel granted for use of, 125 
Frenchman's Opinion of the new Somer- 
set House, 211 
Frontages of Somerset House, see titles 
Strand Frontage and River Frontage 
Fuller, Dr., 69, 138 

Funerals from Somerset House — Pro- 
cessions to Westminster Abbey and 
St. Paul's 
Albemarle, Duke of, 155 
Anne of Denmark, 79 
Cromwell, Oliver, 131 
Elizabeth, Queen of Bohemia — Body 

taken by barge to the Abbey, 142 
Fuseli, Keeper of Royal Academj', 231 
Gloucester, Duke of, 139 
James I., 85 

Orange, Princess of — Torchlight Pro- 
cession to the Abbey, 141 



326 



INDEX 



Funerals from Somerset House [continued) 
Rej'nolds, Sir J. — Procession to St. 

Paul's, &c., 229 
Sandwich, Earl of, 156 
West, Sir B., 231, 232 
Furniture of State Apartments 

Description of, prior to the Demolition 

of the building, 186, 187, 188 
Sale of, after the beheading of Charles I., 
127 — Appendix, 286 
Fuseli, the Painter, 231 

G. 

Gaiety and Splendour surrounding old 
Somerset House, 74 — Termination of 
— Commencement of its humdrum 
Lodging-pen Existence, iSi 

Gainsborough, 219, 220 

Galler)- — Description of State Apartments 
previous to the Demolition of old 
Somerset House, 186, 187 

Gamache, Father Cyprien de — Story of 
old Somerset House Chapel as told 
by, 107, 108, H2, 117, 123, 140, 151, 
152 

Gambling at the Court of Henrietta 
Maria — Amount won by the King 
and Queen on a Dicing-night, 94 

Gardens surrounding old Somerset House 
Buildings erected on Plot of Land 
formerly leased to J. Gerrard, 8i, 
270 
Description of, prior to the disappear- 
ance of old Somerset House, 171, 
184, 185 
Place of Resort — Bowling-green avail- 
able for diversion of Citizens, &c., 
172 
Plots leased — Gardens relaid, &c., dur- 
ing Anne of Denmark's Residence, 
68 
Relaid in the Italian Style on the return 
of Henrietta Maria after the Restora- 
tion, 144 

Gardiner, Bishop, 18 

Gardiner, S. R., 281 

Garrick, 193 

Gateway in the Wall, sec Water Gate 

Geffrey, the Dwarf of Henrietta Maria's 
Court and Scott's Pei'cril of the Peak, 
96 

Gentileschi, Orazio — Burial in old 
Somerset House Chapel, 117 

Geological and Geographical Societies, 
Origin of — Apartments at Somerset 
House, &c., 239 

George II. — Masquerade at Somerset 
House, Infatuation for Elizabeth 
Chudleigh, &c., 179 

George III. — Patronage of Art and 
Science, 203 
Institution of Roj'al Academy, &c., 214 

Gerrard, John, Surgeon and Herbalist — 
Plot of Land adjoining Somerset 
House leased to, by Anne of Den- 
mark, 68, 69, 81, 270 



Ghost Story connected with old Somerset 
House, 186 

Gibson, Richard 

Famous Miniature Painter and his wife 
— Dwarfs at the Court of Henrietta 
Maria, 97 
Portrait of Flamsteed by, 237 

Gloucester, Duke of — Death at Somerset 
House from Smallpox, 139 

Godden, Dr. — Queen Catherine's Chaplain 
Apartments in Somerset House, 152 
Popish Plot invention — Escape of 

Godden to Paris, &c., 163 
Return to England and Reinstatement 
by Catherine, 165 

" Godfrey Hall " — Somerset House Nick- 
name, 163 

Godfrey, Sir Edmund Berry — Popish Plot 
invention, Alleged Murder of God- 
frey by the Papists, &c., 159-164, 165 

Goodman, Bishop — Description of Pa- 
geant witnessed in Courtyard of old 
Somerset House, 58 

Goodrowse, William — Old Somerset 
House Gardens relaid by, 68 

Government Departments, Accommoda- 
tion for — Building on Site of old 
Somerset House, 184, 190, 193, 194, 
195 
Building ready for use — Date, &c., 215 
(for particular Departments, see their 
Names, Inland Revenue, Stamp 
Duties Department, &c.) 

Government Officials — Punctual and Con- 
tinuous Attendance, Object of grant- 
ing Residential Accommodation at 
Somerset House, 216 

Granger, Mr., 27 

Green, Robert, 163 

Greenbury Hill — Another name for Prim- 
rose Hill, 163 

Greenwich 
Palace 
Building after plan of Inigo Jones, at 
the instigation of Anne of Den- 
mark, 66 
Henrietta Maria, Residence of, 142 
Removal of Naval Museum from 

Somerset House to, 241 
" Ship Tavern " — Dining-place of King 
James I. and King Christian of Den- 
mark, 73 

Gresham, Sir T., 62 

Grey, William de, 177 

Grounds attached to old Somerset House, 
see Gardens 

Gunnings, Miss, 177, 179 

Gunnings, Mrs. — Housekeeper at Somer- 
set House, 177 

Gunpowder Plot — Commemorating Anni- 
versary bj' the people. Merrymaking 
turned to grief at the illness of Henry 
Prince of Wales, 75 

Gwilt, Mr. Joseph — Opinion on Architec- 
tural Merit of Somerset House, 207, 
210 



INDEX 



327 



H. 

Hackney Coach Offices at Somerset 

House, 215, 216 
Halley, Portraits of, &c., 236, 237 
Hamilton, Duchess of, 177 
Hamilton, Duke of, 179 
Hamilton, Marquis of, 79 
Hammersmith — Queen Catherine's Con- 
vent House, 165 
Hampton Court and old Somerset House, 

Resemblance between, 169, 172 
Hardwick, Philip, 247 
Havvke, Edward, afterwards Lord Ad- 
miral, 177 
Hawkers' and Pedlars' Offices at Somerset 

House, 215, 216 
Hayward, Sir J. — Account of Somerset's 
alleged intention to destroy St. Mar- 
garet's Church, 40 
Hegden — Son of Sir C. Hegden, Quarrel 
with Earl of Essex during Festivities 
at Anne of Denmark's Court, 77 
Henbury Parsonage — Gift to Bishop of 
Chester by the Duke of Somerset, 44 
Henrietta Maria 
Chapel built by, for Roman Catholic 
Worship, see title Chapel at old 
Somerset House 
Civil War, Outbreak of — Departure to 
Holland and subsequent Flight to 
France, &c., 124 
Dowry granted by Parliament and 
Allowance granted by King Charles 
II., 142 
Dress — Garb of Mourning assumed on 
the death of Charles I. continuously 
worn till she died, 149 
French Household at her Court at 
Somerset House, see title Royal Resi- 
dence, Somerset House, as — Charles I. 
and Henrietta Maria 
Human Freaks, Affection for — Story of 
" Little Geffrey, the Queen's Dwarf," 
96 
Marriage with King Charles I., 84, 89 
Penance imposed on, by her father 
Confessor — Indignation of Charles, 
&c., 99, 121 
Restoration of the Monarchy — Return to 
England of the Queen Mother, 139 
Royal Residence at Somerset House, 
see title Royal Residence 
Roman Catholicism, Zeal in promoting 
cause of, 99, 104 
Activities continued on her return to 
England after the Restoration, 150 
Chapel Built at old Somerset House, 

see title Chapel 
Effect of, on the relations between 

the King and Queen, 99, 104 
Execution of Charles I., Factors 

which contributed to, 124 
Growth of Roman Catholicism — 
Number of Converts, &c., ii8, 119, 
120 



Henrietta Maria {continued) 
Roman Catholicism (continued) 
Letters of Grace and Favour granted 
to Papists, 121 
St. Albans, Earl of. Relations with, 147, 

150 
Somerset Palace as Royal Residence, 
see title Royal Residence — Charles I. 
{Refer also to Charles I.) 

Henrietta, Duchessd'Orleans, see d'Orleans 

Henry VIII. 
Death of, i8 

Visit to Sir J. Seymour at Wulf Hall, 
Result of — Ascendency of Jane Sey- 
mour at Court, &c., 13, 14, 15 

Herbert, Sir H., 93 

Herschel, Sir W., 238 

Hertford, Earl of — Title bestowed on 
Edward Seymour, afterwards Duke 
of Somerset, 15 
(Refer also to Somerset) 

Hertford, Earl of — Title bestowed on 
Duke of Somerset's Son, 59 

Heywood, Thomas, Masque written by, 66 

Hierosme, M., 140 

Hill, Lawrence, 163 

Hill, Mr. E. — Invention of Machine for 
Perforating Stamps, 257 

Histories of old Somerset House, 9 

Histrioutastrix, The Players' Scourge, 92, 93 

Hoccleve, Poet, 38 

Hofnagle's Map, 36 

Hogarth, William, 237 

Print illustrating Masquerade at 
Somerset House attributed to, 18 1 
note 

Holbein, Hans — Designer of old Somerset 
House theory, 49 

Holland, Lord, 255 

Holstein, Duke of — Apartments at old 
Somerset House, 59 

Home Counties Magazine — Account of old 
Somerset House, 9 

Honeycomb, Will — Extract from Spec- 
tator oi 171 1, 172 

Hooper, Dr., Bishop of Worcester — 
Recompense for Loss of Worcester 
Inn acquired by Duke of Somerset, 

44 
Houseboat known as " The Folly," 
opposite stairs of old Somerset House, 
171 
Housekeepers at Somerset House 
Gunning, Mrs. — Marriage of Daughter 

at old Somerset House, &c., 177 
Last Housekeeper — Mrs. Charlotte 

Lennox, 183 
Rooms occupied by Lady House- 
keeper, 182 
Hudson, Geffrey — the Dwarf of Queen 
Henrietta Maria's Court and Scott's 
Peveril of the Peak, 96 
Hullah, John, 281 
Hunsdon, Lord, 54 
Neglect of, by Elizabeth — Death of 
Hunsdon at Somerset House, &c., 63 



328 



INDEX 



Hunter, Dr., 182, 224 

Huntingdon, Countess of, 156 

Hyde Park Oratory — Seventeenth Cen- 
tury Representative, 130 

" Hymen's Triumph " — Masque Enter- 
tainment at old Somerset House on 
the occasion of the Marriage of Lord 
Roxborough, 76, 81 

I 

Improvements and Repairs — Structural 
Alterations, &c., of old Somerset 
House, 10 
Anne of Denmark — Alterations from 
plans of Inigo Jones, proposed, 65, 
66 
Expenditure upon Works and Re- 
pairs, Accounts of Moneys Spent, 81 
Nature of Alterations, Evidence as 
to, &c., 80, 81 
Expenditure on, 53, 54 
Government undertaking Repairs (1694) 
for Accommodation of Poorer 
Nobility, 168 
Wren's Survey and Report, i6g, 170 
Henrietta Maria, Queen — Property in 
need of Amelioration on the arrival 
of the Queen after her Marriage, 94 
Poems written on the Subject, 145, 

146 
Return of Henrietta Maria after the 
Restoration — Extensive Struc- 
tural Alterations Ordered, 142 
Changes Effected, Extent of, 143 
Designs bj' Inigo Jones prepared 
some years previous. Descrip- 
tion of Designs, &c., 142, 143, 144 
Pepys' description of the Improve- 
ments, 145 
Reconstruction of River Front 
abandoned for lack of Funds, 143 
Improvements and Repairs to New 
Buildings — Erection of Western 
Wing, 24s, 247 
Improvements of London — Street Im- 
provements, &c., carried out by 
Pennethorne, 246 
Inchiquin, Earl of, 229 
Income Tax 
Introduction of, by Pitt, Incidence of 
Tax, &c., 255 
Popular Disfavour — Revival of the 
Excise Tax, 250, 254 
Income-Tax Department at Somerset 

House, 263 
Inhabited House Duty Tax, History of, 

&c., 256 
Inland Revenue Board, Establishment of 
and Installation at Somerset House, 
240, 249, 262, 263 
Communication between Branches in 
West Wing and New Wing, FaciHties 
for, 262 
Inns of Chancery, see titles Chester Inn, 
Worcester Inn, Llandaff's Inn, &c. 



Interior of Somerset House 

Damage wrought in Connecting 
Separate Parts of the Building by 
piercing divisional Walls, 12 

Description of old Somerset House 
prior to its Disappearance, 185-188 

J. 

Jacob. Mr. Heaton — Account of old 

Somerset House by, 9 
James I. of England 

Death of, at Theobalds — Body removed 

to Somerset House, 85 
Funeral — Procession and Ceremonial, 

87 
King Christian of Denmark's Visit to 
England, Amount Expended on 
Entertaining the King, &c., 70 
Residence of Anne of Denmark at old 
Somerset House, see title Royal 
Residence — James I. 
James II., Accession of — Relations with 
Catherine of Braganza, Approval of 
her Conduct at the Landing of the 
Prince of Orange, &c., 165 
Jelf, Dr., 275 

Jermyn, Henry, see St. Albans, Earl of 
John of Padua — Designer of old Somerset 

House theorj', 46, 49, 51 
Johnson, Dr., 183, 193, 226, 253 

Will in Somerset House, 260 
Jones, Inigo 

Alterations and Structural Changes of 
Somerset House carried out b}', 10, 
65, 66, 80, 171, 184, 186, 188 
Carrying out Designs previously 
made on the return of Henrietta 
Maria, 142, 143, 144 
Apartments in Somerset House, 129 
Chapel built by Henrietta Maria at 
old Somerset House, Designer of, 
83, 84, III, 112 
Greenwich Palace, Plans prepared for, 

66 
Palace which James I. contemplated 
building at Whitehall, Design for, 82 
Services at the Court of Queen 
Henrietta Maria — Pastoral Perfor- 
mance produced under the direction 
of Jones, 91, 93, 94 
Success of, at Anne of Denmark's Court, 

Explanation of, 81 
Will in Somerset House, 260 
Jonson, Ben — Attendance at Anne of 
Denmark's Court, Masques written 
b}', &c., 65, 66, 67, 91 

K. 

Kauffman, Angelica, 221, 224, 234 
Keepership of Somerset House — Lord 

Cecil of Essingdon, 68 
Kensington, Viscount — King Charles's 

Marriage Proxy, 89 
Ker, Robert, see Roxborough, Lord 
Kerhnel, M., 140 



INDEX 



329 



Kettilbv, Abel, 178 

Kew Gardens, Pagoda, &c.— Specimens 
of Sir W. Chambers' Architectural 
Work, 192 
Kildare, Lady, 180 
King, Bishop of London, 67 
King's College 

Appeal for Funds 279 

Architecture and Plan — Completion of 
River Front of Somerset House, 268 
Description of, 271 
Structural Alterations since Com- 
pletion of Building, 278 

Building of — Original Design of Somer- 
set House by Chambers carried out 
by the Building of King's College, 
191, 201, 268 

Completion of Building, 272, 273 

Cost of Building, 269 

Departments of General Education, 279 

Endowment, Appropriation of, for 
Prizes, 279 

Engineering Department, or Depart- 
ment of Applied Sciences, 274 

Evening Classes, Introduction of, 276 

Expenditure met by Students' Fees, 279 

Funds, Means of Raising, &c., 267 

Governing Body, 269, 270 

Incorporated by Charter, 269 

Interior Plan, 272 

Jubilee of the College, Celebration, 277 

King's Patronage and Grant of Title, 
266, 267 

Laboratories for Physics and Bac- 
teriology, 281 

Lectures of First Term, 273 

Library for Use of Students, 278 

Maurice, Rev. F. D., Essays published 
by — Resignation of Maurice, 275 

Medical Department, 273 

Metallurgical School and Laboratory 
Institution, 277 

Museum, Contents of, &c., 279 

Oriental Section, Formation of, 276 

Origin of — Importance of the Move- 
ment for the Educational Welfare of 
London, 265 

Practical Art, Scheme of, 276 

Scheme of Instruction 
Curriculum, &c., 267, 273 
Theology, Inclusion of, 266 

Senior and Junior Departments, 267, 
269, 273 

Site of 

Buildings previously occupying, 171 
Grant of Site by Government, 268, 
270 

Structural Alterations since Comple- 
tion of Building, 277, 278 

Theological Department established 
under Dr. Jelf, 275 

University of London Act — College 
constituted School of the University, 
279 

Work of the College — Service rendered 
to Higher Education, &c., 280 



King's College Hospital 
Antiseptic Surgery, First Hospital to 

introduce, 281 
Institution of, 274 
Kingston, Duchess of, 179 
Kno.x, John — Somerset's Preference for 

watching the masons building his 

Palace rather than for listening to 

Sermons, 45 
Knyff's Drawing of old Somerset House, 

144 



L. 

Lambert, Father, 141 

Lancaster Place, New Wing of Somerset 
House fronting — Erected by Penne- 
thorne, 245, 247 

Land adjoining Somerset House, sec titles 
Gardens and Tenements 

Land Tax, History of, &c., 256 

Lannoy,Cornelius — Laboratory in Somer- 
set House, Trickery practised on 
Elizabeth, &c., 60, 61 

Laud, Archbishop — Collision between 
Queen Henrietta Maria and the 
Archbishop, 118, 119 

Lawes, Robert — Clerk of the Works em- 
ployed during the building of old 
Somerset House, 45 

Lawrence, Sir Thomas, 230 

Lea, Sir R. — Designer of old Somerset 
House theory, 49 

Learned Societies — Accommodation at 
Somerset House, see names of 
Societies, such as Royal Society, &c. 

Leeds, Duke of, 229 

Lefaire, Priest, 163 

Legacy Duty 
History ot, 258 
Offices at Somerset House, 215 

Leicester House — Site now occupied by 
Empire Theatre of Varieties — Home 
of Caroline of Anspach, 173 

Lennox, Duke of — Marriage of daughter 
with son of Earl of St. Albans Plot, 

151 

Lennox, Mrs. Charlotte — Last House- 
keeper at Somerset House, 183 

Lightfoot, Dr. Robert, i68 

Ling, Rev. Mr., 176 

Lisle, Viscount — Marriage with daughter 
of Duke of Somerset, 24 

Lite, Henry, 63 

Liverpool, Earl of, 271 

Llandaff Bishopric 

Decline in Revenues — Bishop of "Aff," 
the " Land " having been taken away, 

44 
Residence in the Strand demolished — 
Part of Site of old Somerset House, 

35,44 

Where situated, 37 
Locatelli, Signor, 221, 222 
Locke, Matthew — Appointed Musical 

Composer to King Charles II., 157 



330 



INDEX 



Long, Sir Robert — Member of Henrietta 

Maria's household, 148 
Longleat, Wiltshire — Residence of Sir J. 

Thynne, 48, 49 
Lonsdale, Bishop, 281 
Lord Mayor of the City of London, 

Aldermen and Sheriffs 
Cromwell's Funeral, Attendance at, 134 
Entertainment of, at old Somerset 

House, 76 
Lord Mayor's Show — Henrietta Maria's 

Journey to Cheapside to witness the 

Lord Mayor pass, 95 
Lord Protector Somerset, see Somerset 
Lottery Offices at Somerset House, 215, 

216, 237 
Louis XIII., refer to France 
Ludlow, E., 126, 136 



M. 

Mace presented to Royal Society by 

Charles II., 237 
Maitland's, W., Histoiy 0/ London quoted, 

38 and note 
Malcolm's London and Westminster, 196, 

197 
Malton's Picturesque Tour through London 

and Westminster, 10 
Mann, Sir Horace, 179 
Mansell, Sir Robert — Marriage at Somer- 
set House during Anne of Denmark's 
Residence, 77 
Marlborough, Duchess of, 169 
Marriages at old Somerset House 
Maids of Honour at Anne of Denmark's 

Court, 76, 77 
Recording, 117 and note 
Marvell, Andrewe, 155 
" Mary Stiff, Charwoman " — Scurrilous 
Pamphlet against the Excise Tax, 
252 
Masques and Pastorals — Performances at 
old Somerset House 
Anne of Denmark's passion for 

Extravagance in details of Attire 

resulting from, 74 
" Hymen's Triumph," Performance 
of, at the Marriage of Lord Rox- 
borough, 76, 81 
Revival of Entertainments by Henrietta 
Maria, 90, 91 
Masquerades, Entertainments at old 
Somerset House 
Caroline of Anspach's tenure of Somer- 
set House — Addison's humorous 
paper contributed to the Freeholder, 
173 
Entertainments during Eighteenth 

Century, 167 
George II. — Subscription Masquerade, 
Sensation caused by Elizabeth 
Chudleigh, 179 
Print used in illustration of Mas- 
querade attributed to William 
Hogarth, &c., 181 note 



Matthew, Sir Toby, 119 

Maurice, Rev. F. D., 275, 281 

Maxwell, Clerk, 281 

Members of Parliament — Lodgings in 
Somerset House, 127 

Mende, Bishop, 120 

Position held by, at the Court ot Queen 
Henrietta Maria — Expulsion of, by 
King Charles, loi 

Milton, John — Will in Somerset House, 
260 

Monck, see Albemarle, Duke of 

Monk, Dr., 281 

Montague, Abbe Walter, 119, 141, 153 
Pastoral written by, for Queen Hen- 
rietta Maria, 91 

Montogue, Mrs. Elizabeth, 180 

Montmorency, Francis, Duke of — Apart- 
ments at old Somerset House, 59 

More, Sir Thomas — Champion of the 
New Learning, Attitude of Henry 
VIII., 13 

Moser, Mr. G. H. — Keeper of the Royal 
Academy, &c., 182, 231 

Moser, Joseph, 185 

Mount Edgcumbe, Earl of, 261 

Mourning worn at the Funeral of Anne 
of Denmark, Weight of Cloth of 
Apparel — Ladies twelve yards, and 
Countesses sixteen, 79 

N. 

Name of Somerset House changed to- 
Denmark House during visit of King 
Christian of Denmark in 1606, 69 
Final Disappearance of the name Den- 
mark House after the death of 
Charles I., 137, 138 
Re-naming the Palace, Date of, &c., 
70 

Napoleon Buonaparte — Will of, restored 
to France at request of Emperor 
Louis Napoleon, 260 

Nash, John, 246 

Nassau, Prince William — Received at 
Somerset House, 98 

National Beehive — Somerset House as, 
245 

National Gallery — Housing of Royal 
Academy — Last Exhibition at Somer- 
set House, &c., 233 

National Gallerj- of Painting, &c. — Build- 
ing on what is now Site of King's- 
College suggested, 271 

Naval Museum at Somerset House — 
Removal of Collection to Greenwich, 
&c., 241 

Navy — Admiralty Departments at Somer- 
set House, see Admiralty 

Neighbourhood of Somerset House, see- 
Strand 

Nelson, Lord 
Visits to Somerset House, Anecdote, 

241 
Will in Somerset House, 260 



INDEX 



331 



New Building, 190 
(Refer also to titles Architecture, Strand 
Frontage and River Frontage, 
Government Departments, Cost of 
Erecting, &c.) 
New Woman of Cromwell's Time, 129 
Newport, Lady 
Convert to Roman Catholicism, 

120 
Member of Henrietta Maria's House- 
hold, 148 
Newspapers and Stamp Duty — Scenes in 

the Quadrangle, &c., 240, 257 
Newton, Sir Isaac, 236, 237 
Bust in Vestibule, 204 
Will in Somerset House, 260 
New Wing — West Wing 

Erection of, from Designs by Sir J. 
Pennethorne, 245, 247 
Architectural Designs, 248 
Cost — Total cost of operations — 
Application of Proceeds of Sale 
of old Excise Office, 249 
Installation of the Board of Inland 
Revenue — Work of the Depart- 
ment, &c., 249 
Alterations — Corridors made con- 
tinuous, &c., 263 
Communication between branches 
located in West Wing and Main 
Office in New Wing, Facilitating, 
262 
Estate Duty Department, 258, 263 
Stamps Department, 257 
Vacant Space caused by the Removal 
of the Admiralty to Spring Gardens, 
Appropriation of, 259 
Newton's, W., London oj Olden Times, 36 

vote 
Nichols, J. B., 181 note 
Nobility 

New Nobility created by Henry VIII. 
— State of Society at the commence- 
ment of Somerset's career, 14 
Struggle for power between Norfolk 
and Hertford — Triumph of Hert- 
ford, 17 
Residence at old Somerset House 
granted to Nobility, 152, 156, 157, 
169 
Nollekens, Joseph, 203, 204, 221 
Norden's Speculum Britanuice, References 

to, 54 
Norfolk, Duke of 

Rival of Earl of Hertford, 17 — 

Daughter's Marriage with Thomas 

Seymour, 16 

Trial for Treason and Committal to 

the Tower, i8 

Norfolk Street — Site of Arundel House, 

33 
North American Indians, Tribe of, in 
London — Baptism of Son of Chief of 
the Yamanses Tribe in Somerset 
House Chapel, 178 
North, Roger, 157 



Northern Block designed to accommodate 
Royal Academy in the New Buildings, 
Completion of, 194 
(Refer also to Royal Academy) 

Northouck, John, 184 

Northumberland, Duke of, 25 

Norwich — Rebellion against the enclosure 
of Common Land, &c., 22 

Nottingham, Countess of — Protest against 
behaviour of King Christian of Den- 
mark during his Entertainment at old 
Somerset House, 71 

Nottingham, Lord, 166 



O, 

Oates, Titus — Popish Plot invention, 
159-164 

Occupiers of old and new Somerset 
House, see titles Royal Residence, 
Inland Revenue, Purposes to which 
old and new Somerset House was 
put, &c. 

Official Residence at Somerset House, 
see Purposes for which New Building 
was intended 

Ogilvy's Map, 36 

Old Bailey— Trial of Sir G. Wakeman, 
arising out of the Popish Plot inven- 
tion, 161 

Old Building (refer to titles Architecture, 
Royal Residence, State Apartments, 
Descriptions of Somerset House, 
Demolition, Gardens, &c.) 

Opie, Picture by, 227 

Orange, Prince of — Afterwards William 
III. of England 
Catherine of Braganza's Relations 

with, 165, 166 
Irish Campaign, Prayer for Success 
of omitted in the Service at the 
Savoy Chapel — Queen Mary's Pro- 
test, &c., 166 
Residence at Somerset House, 165 

Orange, Prince of — Successor in Holland 
to William III. of England — Lodged 
in State Apartments of Somerset 
House, 178 

Orange, Princess of — Residence at Somer- 
set House, Death from Smallpox, 
&c., 141 and note 

Origin of Somerset House — Life and 
Career of the Duke of Somerset 
showing amid what influences the 
first foundations of Somerset House 
were laid, 10, 13-29 
Foundation, 31-52 

Original Fabric of Somerset House — 
Pictorial Descriptions, 10 
(Refer also to Architecture) 

Ossory, Earl of, 229 

Owners of old Somerset House as 
Royal Residence, refer to title 
Royal Residence, Somerset House 
as 



332 



INDEX 



Palatinate, Recovering from Spain 

Differences between France and Eng- 
land on Subject of, 84 
Prince Charles's Marriage with the 
Infanta project, 83 

Palatine of the Rhine Count 
Apartments at old Somerset House, 

60, 127 
Entertainment of, by King James I. — 
Visit to Somerset House, &c., 74 

Palladio, Medallions by, 224 

Palmer, Sir Thomas — ^Somerset's alleged 
Plot to murder Warwick disclosed 
by, 25 

Palmerston, Viscount, 229 

Panzani, Gregorio, 118 

Papacy, sec Roman Catholicism, also title 
Chapel at old Somerset House for 
Roman Catholic Worship 

Paraphernalia — Remnants of Throne and 
State discovered in the opening up 
of old State Apartments prior to 
demolition, 186 

Pardon Churchyard, refer to St. Paul's 
Churchyard — Demolition of Cloister 

Parks in the Metropolis planned and 
laid out by Sir J. Pennethorne, 
246 

Pasquin, Antony — Attack on Architec- 
ture of new Somerset House, 194, 
230, 240 

Pastorals, Performances at Somerset 
House during Royal Residence, refer 
to titles Masques and Pastorals 

Peel, Sir Robert, 256, 266 

Pegge, Samuel — Account of old Somerset 
House, 9, 239 

Pennethorne, Sir J. — Erection of new 
Western Wing, &c., 245 

Penny — Lecturer on Painting at the 
Academy, 183 

Penny Postage, Inauguration of — History 
of the development of the Penny 
Stamp, 275 

Pepys' Diary, References to and Quota- 
tions from, 143, 145, 149, 151, 152, 
154, 156, 157 

Perforating Machine for Stamps, Inven- 
tion of, 257 

Peter Hugh, 129, 130 

Pett, Phineas — Famous Naval Architect, 

73 
Pickpockets in 1700— Addison's Narrative 
of a Masquerade Entertainment at 
Somerset House, 176 
Pictorial Descriptions of old Somerset 

House, 10 
Pictures 

Royal Academy 
Apartments at Somerset House — 
Portraits and Pictures adorning, 

224 
Pictures Exhibited at First Exhibition 
at Somerset House, 219 



Pictures {continued) 
Royal Society, Apartments at Somerset 

House — Portraits, &c., 237 
Sale of Pictures — Property of King 

Charles I., 128 — Appendix, 283, 296- 

306 
Strand, Drawings depicting the Strand 

previous to the Building of old 

Somerset House, 36, 37 
Pierce, Mr., 149 

Pipe Office at Somerset House, 215, 216 
Pitt, William 

Excise Duty imposed by, 253 
Income Tax introduced by, 255 
Will in Somerset House, 260 
Pitt, Mrs., 180 
Plague, Outbreak of, 152 
Plan of Somerset House as it existed in 

1706, 170 
Plays performed at Somerset House, refer 

to titles Masques and Masquerades 
Politics — Association of Somerset House 

with Political Movements, &c., 10, 58 
Pollard, Mr. A. F., England under Pro- 
tector Somerset, 10 
Poor Law Commission — Accommodation 

at Somerset House, 241 
Popish Plot, 159-164 

Murder of Godfrey, see Godfrey 
Somerset House — Search for Papists, 

&c., 160 
Somerset House Chapel — Agitation 

directed against Congregation, 158 
Popery, see Roman Catholicism, also title 

Chapel at old Somerset House 
Population — Official Returns, Date of 

instituting, &c., 261 
Portland, Duchess of, 180 
Portland, Duke of, 229 
Postage Stamps — Inauguration of Penny 

Postage, History of the development 

of the Penny Stamp, 275 
Postcards, when first issued, 258 
Povy, Mr., 145 
Prance, Miles — Popish Plot invention, 

162, 163 
Prayer Book — Evidence of Somerset's 

Influence on the Reformation, 20, 28 
Preachers, see Feminine Preachers 
" Pretender," James Stuart the Elder — 

Secreted in Somerset House, 178 
Priests, French Priests at the Court of 

Queen Henrietta Maria — Tyranny 

and Outrages committed by, 99, 121 
Primrose Hill — Murder of Sir Edmund 

Godfrey, Popish Plot invention, 159- 

163 
Pritchard, Priest, 163 
Privy Council — Popish Plot invention, 159 
Priv}' Seal and Signet Offices at Somerset 

House, 215, 216 
Probate Court Clerical Staff, Quarter 

occupied by, 259 
Probate Registry — Left-hand entrance, 

Dial over Doorway, Memorial of Mira- 
culous Escape of Labourer Story, 242 



INDEX 



333 



Protectors, refer to Cromwell and 

Somerset 
Protestant Rulers of England 

Associations of Somerset House with, 

64 
First — Title of Protector assumed by 
Duke of Somerset, 19, 28 
Prynne, William, 250 — Attack on Women 
Actors alleged to have been directed 
against Queen Henrietta Maria, 92 
Pugin, Augustus, 246 
Purposes for which New Building of 
Somerset House was intended 
Curtailment of Original Plan during 

Execution, 216 
Official Residence 

Admiralty Officials installed in 
Apartments facing rear of West 
Wing, 215, 216 
Officers, Porters, &c., required to live 

on the Premises, 11 
Reasons for Residence of Officials — 

Despatch of business, &c., 216 
Vacation of Residence ordered, 245 
[sec also titles Government Offices, 
Royal Academy, Royal Society, &c.) 
Purposes to which old Somerset House 
was put at various periods 
Commonwealth Period 

Members of Parliament, Lodgings, 

127 
Military Headquartersfor Cromwell's 
Army, &c., 127, 128, 130, 137 
Foreign Ambassadors and other distin- 
guished visitors from foreign coun- 
tries. Accommodation for, 59, 60, 
167, 169 
{For particular persons, sec their names 

and titles) 
Residence 

Account of Rooms and who inhabited 

them — Appendix ii., 309 
Noblemen and Ladies of Charles IL's 
Court, Accommodation for, after 
the departure of Henrietta Maria, 
152, 156, 157 
Poor Nobility, Residence granted to, 

169, 182 
Royal Residence, sec that title 

Q- 

Quadrangle 

Description of old Somerset House 
prior to its disappearance, 184 

New Building, Description of, 199 

Newspaper Stamp Duty Days — Scenes 
in the Quadrangle, 240 

Sculptured Decorations, Description of, 
204 

Smaller Quadrangle and the Wing 
towards the East regarded as belong- 
ing to the time of Anne, 80 

South Front occupied by the Clerical 
Staff of Probate Court, 259 
Quakers — Ownership of Somerset House 
contemplated, 126 



R. 

Raleigh, Sir Walter — Nostrum prescribed 
by, for Henrj' Prince of Wales — 
Death of Henrj% 75 

Ramberg, H. — Water Colour Drawings 
of Royal Academy Exhibitions, 226, 
227 

Ramelius, Henricus — Spanish Envoy to 
England entertained and lodged at 
Somerset House, 69 

Raphael, 224 

Rebecca, Biaggio, 221, 224 

Reformation — Duke of Somerset's Influ- 
ence on, 20, 28 

Registrar-General of Births, Marriages 
and Deaths Department, Working 
of, &c., 260 

Relics of old Somerset House — Tomb- 
stones built into Wall of Passage 
leading under Quadrangle, 239 

Repairs and Improvements, refer to title 
Improvements and Repairs 

Residential Population of Somerset 
House, see Purposes for which new 
building was intended, also Purposes 
to which old Somerset House was 
put 

Revenue Department, Accommodation 
for, at Somerset House 
Building ready for use. Date, &c., 215 
Consolidation of Department — Estab- 
lishment of Inland Revenue Board, 
&c., 240 
Growth of — Original Occupiers forced 
to find accommodation elsewhere, 

245 
Working of Machinery for replenishing 

the Exchequer, 249 
(For particular branches, see their 

titles, such as Stamps, Death Duties, 

&c.) 
Reynolds, Sir J. 

Death of — Body laid in State at Somer- 
set House, Funeral at St. Paul's, &c., 

229 
Discourses to Students at Royal Academy 

during its residence at Somerset 

House — Floor giving way incident, 

228, 230 
Pictures and Decorations of Royal 

Academy Apartments at Somerset 

House, 219, 220, 221, 222, 224, 227 
Richmond, Duchess of — Famous Duchess 

of Richmond — Residence at Somerset 

House, &c., 148 
Beauty, Effect of— King Charles II.'s 

infatuation, &c., 153, 154, 158, and 

note 
Elopement with the Duke of Richmond 

and ultimate marriage, 154 
King Charles II.'s visits, 154 

Departure of the Duke of Richmond 
from London and ultimate death 
in Denmark, 155 
Smallpox, Duchess attacked with, 153 



334 



INDEX 



Rigaud, John Francis, 225 
River Frontage of Somerset House 
New Building 

Description of, 200 
Fergusson's, Mr. J., Opinion on, 206 
Old Building — Design of River Front- 
age, 50-52, 171 
{Refer also to titles Terrace, Water 
Gate, &c.) 
Robinson, Mr. 

Designs for new building on site of 
old Somerset House prepared by, 
but not accepted, 191 and note 
Letter handing over Apartments at 
Somerset House to Royal Academy, 
217 
Rochfort, Lady, 180 
Rocques', J., Survey, 36 
Rodney — Marriage at Somerset House, 

77 
Rolt, Mr. — Undertaker of Oliver Crom- 
well's Funeral, 136 note 
Roman Catholic Chapel, see Chapel at 

old Somerset House 
Roman Catholicism — Catholics at Somer- 
set House, Catholic Revival Move- 
ment, &c. 
Aggravating Charles L's Attitude 

towards his Parliament, 10 
Catherine, Wife of Charles IL, Influ- 
ence of, see Catherine 
Charles IL, Conversion to the Catholic 
Faith — Catherine's Consolation, &c., 
164 
Charles's, Prince, Marriage with the 
Infanta project — Terms as to Tole- 
ration for the Catholics in England, 
&c., 83 
Henrietta Maria's zeal in promoting 
the cause of, see Henrietta Maria, 
also title Chapel 
Popish Plot, see that title 
Romney — Secession from the Academy, 

220 
Rooms used by Catherine of Braganza 
which had the appearance of a small 
Temple, Description of, 188 
Roper, Mistress, Marriage of, at Somerset 

House, 77 
Rossetti, Gabriel, 273 
Roxborough, Lord — Marriage Festivities 

at Somerset House, 76 
Royal Academy, Housing of, at Somerset 
House 
Diploma Gallery, Origin of, 224 
New Building, 194, 214, 217 
Banquet preceding Exhibition, First 
Banquet held at Somerset House, 
219 
Description of Apartments — Decora- 
tions, &c., 221 
Antique Academy, 223 
Central Compartment, 224 
Doorwaj' leading to Exhibition — 

Greek Inscription, &c., 225 
Great Room, 225 



Royal Academy (coitinited) 

Hall, Entrance to — Delicate Archi- 
tectural Work, Effect of London 
Soot on, &c., 212 
Library, 221 

Removal of Decorations on the 
Academy transferring its quar- 
ters, 222, 234 
Exhibition of Pictures 
" Crowded out " — Number of Pic- 
tures rejected, 226 
First Exhibition held at Somerset 

House, 219 
Last Exhibition — Number of Pic- 
tures exhibited, &c., 233 
Water Colour Drawings of Exhi- 
bitions by Raniberg, 226 
Fuseli — Keeper, Anecdotes told of, 

&c., 231 
Letter from the Government hand- 
ing over Apartments, 217 
Patronage of George III. and the 
granting of Apartments in Somer- 
set House, 214 
Personnel of the Academy, 230, 231 
Pictures in Central Compartment, 

224 
Reflection on the Academy as an 

Institution — Abusive Satires, 227 
Removal of Academy Westwards — 
Housing of Academy in Trafalgar 
Square, 233 
Reynolds' Presidency — Death of 
Reynolds and Appointment of 
West, 229, 230 
Somerset House Gazette, Publication 

of, 232, 233 
Status — Increase in Social SLindard 

and Financial Position, 219, 221 
Teaching Department — Commence- 
ment of Activities, &c., 220 
Vacated Apartments handed over to 
Department of Practical Art, &c., 

234 
State Apartments of old Somerset 
House, 182 

First Official Dinner at Somerset 

House — Details of Menu, &c., 182 

Need for better Accommodation, 191 

Northern Block, Completion of,i94 

Roj'al Personage — Last Royal Personage 

lodged in Somerset House, 182 
Royal Residence, Old Somerset House as 
Caroline of Anspach, Somerset House 
settled on, 173 
Masquerade in celebration of Birth- 
day — Addison's Description, 173 
Charles, Prince 

Ball and Banquet given to King 
James — Cost wagered upon a 
game of tennis with Buckingham, 
82 
Marriage of the Prince with the 
Infanta of Spain project — Prepa- 
rations for Reception at Somerset 
House, 83, 84, 87 



INDEX 



335 



Koyal Residence {cotttinued) 
Charles, Prince (continued) 

Somerset House conveyed to the 
Prince, 82 
Charles I. and Henrietta Maria 

Disposal of Somerset House after the 

beheading of Charles, see that title 

Dwarfs at the Court — Story of 

" Little Geffrey," &c., q6, 97 
Ecclesiastical Establishment, King 
induced to give consent for In- 
crease in. Lodgings assigned to, 
&c., 106 
Chapel, see that title 
Fish Stalls erected in the Strand 
near Somerset House ordered to 
be removed by Special Commission, 

94 
Frequenters of the Court — Royal 
Apartments open daily to persons 
of note, &c., 97 
French Household, Servants and 
Priests, Charges against — Expul- 
sion of, decided upon by the 
King, 98. 100, 120 
Priests, Tyranny and Insolence, 

99, 120, 121 
Queen's Clothes and Jewels appro- 
priated. Fictitious Debts claimed, 
&c., loi 
Refusal to obey the King's Com- 
mand, 100 
Troops despatched to carry out the 
King's wish — Departure of the 
French Household, 102, 103 
Gaiety and Splendour of the Court, 

148, 149 
Gambling — Amount of money won 
by the King and Queen on a 
Dicing-night, 94 
Grant of Somerset House with Tene- 
ments adjoining to the Queen, 94 
Improvements and Repairs, Struc- 
tural Alterations, &c., sec that title 
King Charles's Visits — His last ap- 
pearance at Somerset House, &c., 

97,98 
Lord Mayor's Show — Queen Henri- 
etta's Journey to Cheapside to see 
the Lord Mayor pass, 95 
Marriage with Henrietta Maria — 
Reception by the people along the 
Thames to Somerset House, &c., 
89, 90 
Pastoral Performance " The Shep- 
herd's Paradise " — Queen Henri- 
etta Maria acting in, 91 
Attack on Women Actors by W. 
Prynne aimed at the Queen, 
alleged, &c., 92 
Revival of Gaieties and Festivities 
such as had existed during Anne 
of Denmark's reign, 90 
Richmond, Duchess of, see that title 
Roman Catholic Services conducted 
in the Queen's Closet 



Royal Residence {continued) 

Charles I. and Henrietta Maria (cant.) 
Attendance at — Restricted to 
Queen's Household by King's 
Orders, 106, 107 
Building used for Service — 
Room fitted up in the form 
of Chapel, 107 
Chapel, Building of, by Henrietta 
Maria — King's Consent, &c., 
see title Chapel 
Petition to King Charles to build 
Chapel — King's indignant re- 
ply, &c., 99 
Charles II. and Catherine of Braganza 
Care of Somerset House left in the 
hands of Earl of Feversham on 
Catherine's departure from Eng- 
land, 168 
Death of Charles II. — Removal of 
Catherine's Residence from White- 
hall to Somerset House, 165 
Departure of Catherinefrom England, 

167 
Interchange of Visits between Hen- 
rietta Maria, Charles II., and 
Catherine — Gathering at Henrietta 
Maria's Court described by Pepys, 
149 
Occasional Residence of Queen 
Catherine — Services in the Chapel, 
&c., 157 
Popish Plot, see that title 
Noblemen and Ladies of Charles II.'s 
Court, Accommodation for, 152 
Charlotte, 181 

Settlement of Buckingham House on 
— Surrender of Somerset House, 
183, 190 
Dilapidation, Decay and Ruin — Demo- 
lition of old Somerset House and 
rebuilding present House, &c., 181, 
183, 184-189 
Elizabeth 

Fete at Richmond Palace — Princess 
Elizabeth's River Pageant to Rich- 
mond, 56 
Residence and Visits to Somerset 

House, 55, 57, 61 
Somerset House conveyed to, in lieu 

of Durham House, 53 
Spanish Armada, Defeat of — Thanks- 
giving Service at St. Paul's, Eliza- 
beth's State Progress from Somer- 
set House, 62 
Transfer of Court from Somerset 
House to Whitehall, 58 
Funerals from Somerset House, see 

that title 
Gardens, see that title 
James I. and Anne of Denmark — 
Somerset House as a separate 
Court of Anne, 65 
Building of Palaces, &c., after Plans of 
Inigo Jones — Architectural Changes 
of Somerset House, &c., 66 



336 



INDEX 



Royal Residence (continued) 
James I. and Anne of Denmark (cont.) I 
Death of Anne at Hampton Court — 

Body removed to Somerset House, 

78 

Funeral Procession from Somerset 

House to Westminster Abbey, 79 

Death of James — Bodj' convej-ed to 

Somerset House, 85 
Denmark, King Christian of — Visits 

to England, Festivities at Somerset 

House, Name changed to Denmark 

House out of Compliment to the 

King, &c., 69, 70 
Dress, Extravagance in — Gaiet)-, 

Magnificence, and Luxury of the 

Court of Anne, 74 
Entertainments and Festivities — 

Anne's Patronage of the Masque — 

The Palace as a Rendezvous for 

the Nobilities and Sociabilities of 

the time, 65, 73 
Gloom cast over the Court by the 

death of Prince Henr\-, 75 
Jewels discovered in Secret Coffer 

after the Queen's Death, 80 
Marriage Festivities and Rejoicings 

— Marriages of Maids of Honour, 

76,77 
Preference for Somerset House as 

Residence — Requirements of 

Anne's Separate Court, &c., 67 
Standard of Morality of Anne's 

Court, 71, 74 
Last Royal Personage lodged in the 

House, 182 
Orange, Prince of — afterwards William 
in., 165 

Restoration of the Monarchj- — Hen- 
rietta Maria Queen Mother, Return 
to England, 139 
Chapel, Restoration of, sfe title Chapel 
Guard of Gentlemen-at-Arms — Ap- 
pointment and Equipment, 148 
Household — Re-arrangements of a 

Radical Nature, 147, 148 
Improvements and Repairs — Struc- 
tural Alterations, &c., see that title 
Sudden departure of Henrietta Maria 
for France and subsequent death 
at Colombes, 151, 152 
State Apartments, Uses to which they 
were put after the building had 
ceased to be a Roj-al Residence, see 
State Apartments 
Royal Societj- — Apartments at Somerset 
House, 214, 217 
Accommodation for, in New Building 

on site of old Somerset House, 191 
Collection of Specimens, &c., handing 
over to British Museum for want of 
Accommodation, 236 
Description of Apartments, Deer-ration, 

&c., 236 
Discoveries of Importance made during 
Residence at Somerset House, 238 



Royal Society (continued) 
Foundation of the Society, 235 
Mace presented by Charles II. — Sup- 
posed at one time to be the " bauble "^ 
of the Long Parliament, 237 
Removal of Society to Burlington 

House, 238 
Social Importance compared with that 
of the Royal Academy — Indifferent 
Accommodation offered, &c., 235 
Vacated Rooms taken over by Geolo- 
gical, Geographical, &c.. Societies, 239 
Rupert, Prince, 142 



Sackville, Charles, see Dorset, Earl of 

St. Albans, Earl of 
Apartments in Somerset House, 152 
Henrietta Maria's Relations with, 147, 

ISO 
Marriage of Son Plot, 151 
Member of Henrietta Maria's House- 
hold, 147 

St. George, Madame — Expulsion of from 
the Court of Queen Henrietta Maria, 
loi, 103 

St. Giles-in-the-Fields, 119 

St. John of Jerusalem (Clerkenwell), 
Church of — Destruction of to provide 
materials for building old Somerset 
House, 39, 41, 42 and note 

St. Margaret's Church, Westminster — 
Destruction of, attempted, to provide 
materials for building old Somerset 
House, alleged, 40 and note, 43 

St. Mary-le-Strand Church, Demolition 
— Part of Site of Somerset Palace, 

34, 35. 37 
Vaults, Traces of, discovered, 36 
St. Paul's Cathedral, Interments in — 
Funerals from Somerset House, 229, 
232 
St. Paul's Cathedral— Old St. Paul's 
Demolition of Cloister, called Pardon 
Churchyard, with the " Dance of 
Death," &c., with tombs, monu- 
ments, &c., to provide materials for 
building old Somerset House, 9, 39, 
40 and note, 41 and note, 42 
Human remains thrown on Finsbury 
Fields — Indignation of the people, 
&c., 44, 45 and note 
Thanksgiving after the Defeat of the 
Armada — Elizabeth's State Progress, 
62 
Sale of belongings of Charles I. — Artistic 
Treasures, &c., 11, 126 and note, 127, 
128, 130 — Appendix, 283 
Sale of old Somerset House, proposed 
Demolition, abandonment of, 125, 
126 
Sale ordered — Completion of Sale 

frustrated, 125, 126 
Tenements adjoining. Particulars of, 
124, 125 and note 



INDEX 



337 



Salt Office at Somerset House, 215, 216 
Sanby, Thomas, 183 
Sandwich, Earl, 153, 180 
Death 

Funeral from Somerset House to the 

Abbey, 156 
Musical dialogue composed by 
Matthew Locke, 157 
Saunderson, Lady — Member of Henrietta 

Maria's Household, 148 
Savoy Chapel, 83, 140, 166 
Scotland 

Federal Suzerainty, Edward L's Claim 
revived — Renewal of Border Warfare 
by Somerset, &c., 20, 21 
Invasion of, by Earl of Hertford — 
Proclaiming Henry guardian of 
Infant Queen of Scots, &c., 16 
Thynne, Sir J., wounded at the Battle 
of Pinkie Cleugh — Knighted on the 
Battlefield, &c., 48 
Scott, Sir G. G., 277 
Sculptured decorations of Somerset House 

as built by Chambers, 202, 203, 204 
Serres, Dominic, 224 

Seymour, Edward, see Somerset, Duke of 
Seymour, Edward (son of Duke of 
Somerset)— Title of Earl of Hert- 
ford bestowed on and part of 
Somerset House granted as resi- 
dence, 59 
Seymour, Sir J. — Henry VIIL's visit to at 

Wulf Hall, 13 
Seymour, Jane 
Ascendency at Court — Result of Henry 

VIIL's visit to Sir J. Seymour, 13 
Death of, 15 
Seymour, Lord 

Intrigues against the Protector which 
led to the Execution of Lord Sey- 
mour, 22 
Marriage with Duchess of Richmond, 

16 
Residence in the Strand, 33 
Seymour of Hache, Baron — Title be- 
stowed on Earl of Hertford (after- 
wards Duke of Somerset), 19 
Seymour's Survey of London, 1 1 1 
Shadwell, Sir John, 177 
Shakespeare — Will presented at Somerset 

House, 260 
Shee, Sir M. A., 230 
Sheldon, Mary, 157 
" Shepherd's Paradise " — Pastoral written 

for Queen Henrietta Maria, 91 
Sherrington, W. — Founder of Chapel at 
the north door of St. Paul's Cathedral, 
41 note 
Ship and Conduct Money — Agitation 
directed against the Friars of Somer- 
set House, 122 
Shorthouse, Mr., 117 
Site of old Somerset House 

Choice of — Reasons for selecting in 
the immediate vicinity of Chester 
Place, 31 



Site of old Somerset House (continued) 
Property demolished to provide site, 
33. 35 
Site of new Somerset House — Area 
covered by architectural designs, 
Curtailment of, for .lack of funds, 
191 
Sloane, Sir H., 237 

Smallpox Epidemic — Death of Princess 
of Orange, Duke of Gloucester, &c., 
see those titles 
Smirke, Mr. R. 

Buildings in the Metropolis designed 

by, 268 a)id note 
King's College designed and built by, 
268 
Smithson, Lady Betty, 180 
Smuggling — History of the Excise Duty, 

250, 252, 254 
Soane Museum 
Architectural Drawings of Sir W. 

Chambers, 193 
Folio of Architectural Drawings at- 
tributed to John Thorpe, 46 
Solitude of Somerset House — Crabbe's 

verses, 242 
Somerset, Duke of 
Birth, Date of, Ac, 14 
Building of old Somerset House, refer 
to that title, also titles Building 
Materials, Architecture, &c. 
Burial-place, 27 

Charges against of Treason and Felony 
— Tried by his Peers and condemned 
to be executed, 26 
Chester Place outside Temple Bar — 

Residence, see Chester Place 
Created Duke of Somerset, 19 
Decline of Power — Rebellion in Nor- 
folk, Devon, &c., 21, 22 
Revival of Influence, 24 
Designation — " Edward, by the Grace 
of God, the Duke of Somerset," &c., 
21 
Events in the early period of his 

career, 14 
Execution of — Scenes at Tower Hill, 
Somerset's Farewell to the People, 
&c., 26 
Failure of Policy at Home and Abroad 
which favoured Warwick's intrigues, 
23 
Forfeit of Title and Estates after Execu- 
tion, 53 
Restoration of certain Lands to 
Somerset's Son, 59 
House of Lords — Special seat above 
the other Peers — Honours bestowed 
on Somerset on his return from 
Invasion of Scotland, 21 
Income as Lord Protector, 32 
Indictment of the Protector's Rule — 
Arrest of Somerset and committal 
to the Tower, 23, 24 
Charges against laid before Parlia- 
ment — Sentence, &c., 24 



22 



338 



INDEX 



Somerset, Duke of (continued) 

Indictment of (continued) 

Release from the Tower, Grant of 
full Pardon, &c., 24 

Intrigues against during his Protector- 
ship, 22, 23 

Intrigues by Somerset leading up to 
Protectorship after Henry's death, 
18, 19 

Life of — Non-existence of complete 
Biography, 10 

Marriage of jane Seymour with Henry, 
Effect of on Somerset's career, 14, 15 

Military exploits — Invasion of Scot- 
land and capture of Boulogne, 16, 17 

Patent as Lord Protector, Date of 
granting, 32 

Plot to destroy the City, seize the 
Tower, &c., alleged, 25 

Policy, Aims, &c. — Defence of Somer- 
set, 27 

Popularity among the People of 
London, 23, 26 

Protector, Title assumed, 19 

Reformation — Influence of Somerset 
on, 20, 28 

Reforms instituted by — Solicitude for 
the poorer classes, &c., 28 

Religion — Calvinist, 19 

Struggle for power between Norfolk 
and Hertford, 17 

Titles bestowed on previous to that of 
the Duke of Somerset, 14, 15 

Warwick, Plot to murder, alleged, dis- 
closed by Sir T. Palmer — Arrest of 
Somerset and committal to the 
Tower, 25 

Wealth 

Accumulation from the Spoils of 

Ecclesiastical Institutions, 23, 27 
Lavish Expenditure on Somerset 
House, 32 
Somerset House Gazette — Weekly Publica- 
tion which reflected the activities of 
the Royal Academy, &c., during its 
residence at Somerset House, 232, 233 
Somerset, Lady — Married at Somerset 
House during Anne of Denmark's 
residence, 77 
Somerset Place — Residence of the Duke 

of Somerset, 50 
South Block — Government Offices oc- 
cupying, 215 
South Kensington School of Art — Com- 
mencement of Movement — Depart- 
ment of Practical Art established 
under Board of Trade, 234 
Southwell, Sir R., 237 
Spanish Armada, Defeat of — Queen Eliza- 
beth's State Progress to Cathedral 
Church of St. Paul's for Thanks- 
giving, 62 
Spanish Court — Escapade of Prince 
Charles and Duke of Buckingham — 
Marriage between Prince Charles 
and the Infanta Project, 83 



Spectator, Extract from — Budgell's and 
" Will Honeycomb's " Walk in Somer- 
set Garden, &c., 172, 173 
Spelman, Sir H., 38 and note, 237 
Spencer, Herbert, and George Eliot — 
Somerset House Terrace Anecdote, 
243 
Stafford, Lady, 180 

Stamp Department at Somerset House, 
215, 216 
Consolidation of Departments — Estab- 
lishment of Inland Revenue Board, 
&c., 240, 245 
Doorway, Dial over — Memorial of 
Miraculous Escape of Labourer 
Story, 242 
Mechanical Operations — Process by 
which the State makes Paper into 
Gold, 257 
Newspapers — Scenes in Quadrangle, 

&c., 240 
Operations of Stamping carried on in 
Basement Rooms, 240 
Stamp Duties 
History of, 257 
Revenue derived from, 257 
Stamps — Penny Postage Stamp — History 

of its development, &c., 275 
State Apartments of old Somerset House 
Description of, 170, 171, 186-188 
Reservation of for entertainment of 
Foreign Ambassadors on the Ap- 
propriation of the Building to 
lodging of Persons of influence, 
169 
Royal Academy, Apartments granted 

to for School of Design, &c., 182 
Uses to which they were put after the 
Building had ceased to be a Royal 
Residence, 169 
(Refer also to title Royal Residence) 
State Funerals from Somerset House, see 

Funerals 
Statues at old Somerset House — Gardens 
ornamented with, &c., 184, 185 
Sale of after Charles was beheaded, 128 
— Appendix, 307 
Stewart, Frances Teresa, see Richmond, 

Duchess of 
Stone, Provision of, for building old 
Somerset House, refer to title Build- 
ing Material 
Stow — References to and Quotations 
from A nnales and Sumey, 33 and note, 
34, 38, 40, 41 and notes, 50, 178 
Strand 

Description of previous to the building 
of Somerset House — Wyngaerde's 
Drawing, &c., 35 and note 
Fish Stalls erected (1630) in the middle 
of the street near Somerset House, 
Removal of by Special Commission, 

94 
Neighbourhood of Somerset Palace, 
Description of during the reign of 
Charles I., 117, 118 



INDEX 



339 



strand (continued) 

Palaces — Street of Palaces with Land- 
ing places upon the Thames, 31, 32 
Disappearance of Palaces, 190 
Paved under Act of Parliament, 31 

Strand Bridge — Part of Site of Somerset 
House, 34, 35 
Description of, 38 

Strand Frontage of new Somerset House 
Architectural Design — Mr. J. Fergus- 
son's Opinion on, 205 
Description of, 197 
Frontage spoilt — Result of grant of 

Land to Earl of Dorset, 170, 179 
Sculptured Keystones to the Arches 
symbolical of the Ocean, Thames, 
&c.. Description of, 203 

Strand Frontage of old Somerset House 
— Description of Design, &c., 50, 51 

Strand Inn — Part of Site of Somerset 
Palace, 34, 35 

Street Improvements in the Metropolis 
carried out bj' Mr. Pennethorne, 246 

Structural Alterations, Repairs, and Im- 
provements, see title Improvements 
and Repairs of Somerset House 

Strype's Ecclesiastical Memorials, 42 

Stuart, James, the Elder " Pretender " — 
Secreted at Somerset House, 178 

Stuart, Mary — Marriage with the 
Dauphin, Effect on the Tudor Policy 
of Union with Scotland, 21 

Stuarts, Somerset House under, 66-167 

Succession Duty, History of, 258 

Sunderland, Lady, 164 

Surrey, Earl of — Execution of, 18 

Surrey Street — Site of Arundel House, 33 

Surrey Street Baths — Spring from Somer- 
set House transferred to, 188 

Surroundings of old Somerset House 
Description of prior to the disappear- 
ance of the old House, 184, 185 
(Refer also to titles Gardens and Strand) 

Surveyor-General, Sir W. Chambers, see 
Chambers 

Sutton, William, 168 

Symbolical Representatives of Ocean, 
Thames, Mersey, &c. — Description 
of Sculptured Decorations of Somer- 
set House, 203 



T. 

Taine, " Henri " — Observations on Somer- 
set House, 211 

Tapestries which hung in State Apart- 
ments, Description of, 187 and note 

Taxes Department at Somerset House, 
215,240,245 
Working of Machinery at Somerset 
House for Replenishing the Ex- 
chequer, &c., 249 

Temple Bar — Thanksgiving Service at 
St. Paul's on the Defeat of the 
Spanish Armada — Lord Mayor's Re- 
ception Ceremony, 62, 63 



Tenants of new Somerset House, 1780- 
1850, 214 
(For particular Tenants see titles Royal 
Academy, Government Depart- 
ments, &c.) 
Tenants of old Somerset House, see 
titles Royal Residence, Nobility, 
Barracks, &c. 
Tenements adjoining Somerset House 
Demolition of Property to provide site 

for Somerset House, 33-39 
Disposal of proposed along with 
Somerset House — Particulars of 
Tenements, &c., 124, 125 and note 
Lodging assigned to Queen Henrietta 
Maria's Ecclesiastical Establishment, 
106 and note 
Property granted to Earl of Dorset — 
New Buildings erected by Dorset, 
170, 178 
Terrace overlooking the Thames 

Promenade for the Public — Views 
from the Terrace &c., 241, 242 
Keys supplied to Inhabitants and 
favoured Residents — Herbert 
Spencer and George Eliot's Pro- 
menades, 243 
Thoroughfare leading to, 215 
Why it was Closed to the Public, 243 
Vaults under converted into Strong 
Rooms for storage of Wills, 259 
Thames 

Elizabeth's Residence at Somerset 
House — River Pageant to Rich- 
mond, 56 
Embanking, 191 

Houseboat known as The Folly moored 
opposite Stairs of old Somerset 
House, Use of as Coffee Tavern, 
&c., 171 
Palaces along the Strand — Use of 
Thames as a Highway of Excursions 
for business and pleasure, 32 
River Frontage of Somerset House, see 

that title 
Somerset House Watergate, see Water- 
gate 
Theed, Mr. W., 249 
Theobalds — King James I.'s Residence, 

75,85 
Thorpe, John 

Design of Somerset House Theory, 46, 

49 
Folio Drawings ascribed to, 80 

Thrale, Mrs., 219 

Thynne, Sir J. — Steward to the Duke 
of Somerset — Possible Designer of 
Somerset House, 48 

Tithe and Copyhold Commission — Ac- 
commodation at Somerset House, 241 

Tobacco Smuggling — History of the Ex- 
cise Law, &c., 252, 253 

Tonstall, Sir J., 107 

Townshend, Marquis of, 229 

Travis, Elizabeth Dorothea, 178 

Travis, Robert, 177 



340 



INDEX 



Treasurer's Remembrancer's Offices at 
Somerset House, 216 

Trench, Archbishop, 275, 280 

Treviso, Jerome da — Designer of Somerset 
House Theory, 49 

Tudor, Mary — Marriage with Louis XII. 
of France, 14 

Tudors, Somerset House under, 53 

Tuke, Sir Samuel — Apartments at Somer- 
set House, 156, 157 

U. 

University of London — Academy Rooms 
in Somerset House reserved for 
Board of Examiners, &c., 235 

Usher, Archbishop — Lying in State at 
Somerset House, 130 

V. 
Vandyck — Will in Somerset House, 260 
Vaudemont, Prince de — Reception at 

Hampton Court, 70 
Vaults under Terrace converted into 
Strong-rooms for storage of Wills,259 
Venetian Ambassador — Entertained at 

Somerset House, 181 
Ventouillac, L. T., 273 
Verses written on the subject of the 
reparation and enlargement of 
Somerset House, 145, 146 
Vestibule 

Delicate Architectural Work, Effect of 

London soot on, &c., 212 
Description of, 198 
Victoria Embankment, Construction of — 
Effect of on appearance of Somerset 
House, 200 

W. 
Waller, Edmund 

Frequenter of the Court of Henrietta 

Maria, 97 
Verses attributed to on the subject of 
improvements made in Somerset 
House by Henrietta Maria, 147 
Walpole, Horace, 179, 220 
Walpole, Sir R., 252, 253 
Walsingham, Baron, 177 
Walton, Izaak — Will in Somerset House, 

260 
Warwick, Earl of 

Gains influence in the Council — 
Becomes Duke of Northumberland, 
&c., 25 
Neptune — Queen Henrietta Maria's 

visit, 95 
Plot to murder alleged — Charges 
against Somerset, 25 
Watergate 

Archway — Sculptured Keystone em- 
blematic of the Thames, 200 
Description of, 171, 185 
Eighth Arch on each side of central 
arch also open to the river, 200 
Waterloo Bridge 
Building of, Effect on structural ap- 
pearance of Somerset House, 200, 211 
Date of Construction, 39 



Weld, Mr. Charles, 242 

Wellington, Duke of, 266 
Will in Somerset House, 260 

Wellington Street — Disused Doorway, 
263 

West, Sir Benjamin, 219, 221, 224, 234 
Death of — Funeral from Somerset 

House to St. Paul's, 232 
Presidency of Royal Academy, 230 

Western New Wing, see New Wing 

Westminster Abbey 

Destruction of, to provide materials for 

old Somerset House — Improbability 

of Somerset's alleged project, 43 

Funerals from Somerset House to 

Westminster Abbey, see title Funerals 

Whitehall — Palace which James I. con- 
templated building — Designs of Inigo 
Jones, 82 

Williams, Mrs., 152 

Wills — Accommodation for, at Somerset 
House — Transferring Wills from 
Doctors' Commons — Wills of great 
historical value, &c., 259, 260 

Wilson, Arthur, Historian, 69 

Wilson, R., 219 

Wilton, Joseph, 203 and note, 204, 221, 
223, 231 

Winglield, Sir Edward — Member of 
Henrietta Maria's Household, 148 

Winter, Sir John, 147 

Wolcott, Dr. John — Author of Lyric Odes 
reflecting on the Royal Academy, 
227, 228 

Women 

Actors — William Prynne's notorious 
attack alleged to have been directed 
against Henrietta Maria, 92 
New Woman of Cromwell's time, 
129 

Worcester College, Oxford — Inigo Jones's 
designs in Library for the proposed 
structural alterations of Somerset 
House, 143 

Worcester Inn — Part of Site of old 
Somerset House 
Acquisition of House, &c. — Recom- 
pense made by Somerset, 35, 44 
Where situated, 36, 37 

Wren, Sir Christopher, 236, 237 

Survey and Report of Somerset House, 
168, 170 

Wulf Hall — Residence of Sir J. Seymour, 
Visit of Henry VIII., 13 

Wyngaerde, Antoine Van den — Drawings 
of London in Bodleian Library, 10, 
35 and note 

Wynne, Sir R., iii 

Wynningham, W. — Rector of Old St, 
Mary-le-Strand Church, 37 



Y. 

Yamanses, Chief — Baptism of son of at 

Somerset House Chapel, 178 
Yates, Mr. J., 181 note 



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H. Mines Hogan, Esq. 

J. M. Hole, Esq. 

Samuel Hull, Esq. 

E. N. KiLVERT, Esq. 

E. H. W. Wingfield King, Esq. 

W. J. KiRKPATRicK, Esq. 

J. F. D. Latham, Esq. 

R. H, LiNDAM, Esq. 

A. S. LuPTON, Esq. 



LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS 343 

T. W. McCoRMicK, Esq. 
G. Marshall, Esq. 
A. Millard, Esq. 

The Right Hon. Viscount Milner, 
g.c.b., g.c.m.g., etc., etc. 

F. Minter, Esq. 

J. T. Mulqueen, Esq. 
Herbert Needham, Esq. 
T. W. NowERs, Esq. 
P. H. O'Flynn, Esq. 
George Pape, Esq. 

G. H. Parkin, Esq. 
J. E. Pitcher, Esq. 

Sir Henry Primrose, K.C.B., C.S.I. , I.S.O. 

Sir John Purcell, K.C.B. 

M. Rand, Esq. 

Henry Richardson, Esq. 

E. P. Rider, Esq. 

F. J. Robinson, Esq. 

Sir Frederic Lacy Robinson, K.C.B. 

W. M. Rossetti, Esq. 

W. C. RoYLE, Esq. 

E. C. Saunders, Esq. 

S. Scott, Esq. 

Her Grace the Duchess of Somerset. 

A. W. Sowar D, Esq. 

J. Stansfeld, Esq. 

J. Steele, Esq., C.B. 

T. E. Swain, Esq. 

A. P. Theobald, Esq. 

Percy Thompson, Esq. 



344 LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS 

W. J. TODHUNTER, EsQ. 

Alfred C. Trevor, Esq. 
J. F. Waight, Esq. 
S. Waine, Esq. 

F. A. Walker, Esq. 
M. W. Watson, Esq. 
William Watson, Esq. 
J. Webster-Brown, Esq. 

The Right Hon. Sir Algernon West, 
G.C.B. 

G. S. White, Esq. 

P. Williamson, Esq. 
C. M. Woodford, Esq. 
W. R. WooLRYCH, Esq. 
Walter Wragg, Esq. 
C. V. G. G. YoRKE, Esq. 



19 1906 



